A Life After Death Situation
by JT Jewels
Summary: When a wish granted by the Shikon Jewel takes Kagome's life, she has to accept being a ghost. However, after going through the well, she is attacked by a beast in a white mask, and is saved by a man in a Black Kimono. What will happen next? Please R
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own either Inuyasha or Bleach, so lawyers can go SUCK IT.

Hello peoples! I decided I would do a crossover for Bleach and Inuyasha. It's mostly because of the fact that I have recently read a very good story written by ConsistentlyInconsistent, called "Death Is Only The Beginning". I would suggest reading it, because it is a fantastic take on the melding of the two worlds. Anyway, now for _my _take on the theme. Well, let's begin! Please R&R!

It was the night before the battle; the group lay silently about the floor of Kaede's hut, getting what little sleep their anticipation would allow them. Two of the five members however were not touched by the sandman's magical sleeping dust, as they quietly pondered the outcome of tomorrow's events. Would they win? Would they save the jewel? Would it _truly _be over with when they killed Naraku? These questions and so many more circled around in their minds. Kagome had a single question that was above all others however,

'When we win… when we finally defeat Naraku… what will we do with the jewel? Better yet… what will _Inuyasha _do?'

Likewise, Inuyasha had a single question that trumped the others,

'If we win this thing… will Kagome stay? Should I _really _become a demon?' while the two of them worked out answers to their questions, they slowly drifted to a deep slumber, which would be interrupted later that morning when they all heard screams emanating from the rest of the village and Kaede begging them to wake up and prepare for battle. Indeed, the group could smell and feel the miasma that choked the village. When their preparations were complete, four of the five friends bolted outside to find a lounging Naraku, who was eating grapes off of a grape vine,

"So… if it isn't the mutt and his bitch. You two truly are suited for each other; you wish to die so terribly that you would run into a battle with _me_ without first thinking things through."

The moment Naraku's words ended, a barrier formed around them, and tentacles erupted from the ground, surrounding the group. They seemed to be harmless until Inuyasha cut one, and a black miasma came pouring out of the severed limb. Since the tentacles were an obstacle, they knew they had to get rid of them, but the fact that the toxic miasma spilt endlessly from any of the tentacles if they were cut made it a near impossibility. As they all thought hard to figure it out, Sango realized she had a way to get out of the tight spot,

"Hey guys, I know how we can get out of this. We just need to have Miroku purify the ground here, and I can dilute the miasma that's coming from that tentacle that Inuyasha cut. Can you do that Miroku?"

"Yes, I can do that. Let's hurry though, because the miasma is going to take us all under if we dawdle anymore."

With those commanding words, Sango and Miroku began the tag team effort. It took Miroku a little longer than usual to bless the grounds, but eventually he had done so. Inuyasha realized much too late that the blessed ground beneath him would subdue him as well. He leaped away from the group, hoping to get out of the radius of the blessing, but his hopes were dashed when he landed on the ground and his feet began to burn, just like walking on searing hot coals. As he ran around trying to keep his feet from becoming nothing but putty on the ground, he began to curse out Miroku and Sango for their 'Stupid idea'. The two simply laughed him off, while Naraku simply smirked and shook his head. Finally Sango diluted the miasma enough to where it would not affect them. Since the blessing had killed the tentacles, they were able to move around them and get back to Inuyasha, who was still hopping up and down trying to get away from the ground. When the group finally reunited, they noticed that Naraku was still lounging about, eating off of the same grape vine. Kagome thought she would make a joke,

"Hey Naraku, what are you, a Roman emperor? I thought you were an all mighty half demon! Oh yeah that's right, you're only a _half _demon!!" Inuyasha winced at those last words, while Naraku's face went from mild enjoyment to moderate impatience,

"If you feel so ill towards half breeds, then why travel with the bastard child of a human and a demon?!"

That was the last straw for Inuyasha; The last thing he needed was another hanyou telling him that he was simply a bastard child. All his life, and not even up till now could he ever get a break from the constant ostracism he recieved from everyone he ever met other than the group he was with now. His mother was a good person, and his father was a strong, powerful demon that felt affection towards his mother, who was human. There was nothing wrong with it, absolutely nothing. No one had the right to call hanyou worthless or disgusting. No one, not even demons. That was the last straw for Inuyasha. He was going to utterly _rip _Naraku to shreds,

"Naraku… I could handle Kagome's words… but yours are the bane of my existence… _you… _are the bane of my existence. I don't care if I die killing you, but I know full well what will happen if I fail. I can't let that happen. I _won't _let that happen! Be prepared to die by my hands Naraku, because this ends now!!" Inuyasha raised his Tetsusuiga and let go with a powerful windscar. Naraku remained unaffected. In light of this, Naraku staged his own counterattack, which Inuyasha fought off easily. Naraku decided to step it up with a much more powerful attack, to which Inuyasha dodged and tried to hit Naraku directly. Naraku dodged the slash, but was not prepared for the arrow that blind sighted him. He felt the unbearable pain flow through his body and caused him to fall from his protective place in the air. Now on the ground, he realized that part of his power had been diminished by the arrow. Knowing he would not be able to manipulate powerful enough magic, he pulled out his own katana. He waited for the next assault, and it came quickly. Inuyasha began to confront him with his own blade, but found that Naraku was very skilled in swordplay. So much so that he was vastly superior to Inuyasha. Within the first five minutes of the battle, the two began to fatigue. Inuyasha himself was badly injured, but was able to fight on par with his enemy. Naraku however managed to surprise Inuyasha when he forced Tetsusuiga from his hands and pinned him against the ground,

"So Inuyasha, I see that my skills outweigh yours tenfold. If you could not defeat me, then why try?"

"I wouldn't be so arrogant right now you son of a bitch!"

Just as Inuyasha's words ended Kagome's arrow pierced Naraku through the stomach and he vomited blood at Inuyasha's feet. Knowing that one more arrow would kill him, Naraku did the only thing that he could in the little time he had remaining. He charged the blade with the remaining power he had and ran Inuyasha through the heart, releasing all of his power into Inuyasha, killing him instantly. Within that instant, Kagome had shot one more arrow that pierced Naraku in the heart, and killed him instantly as well. He collapsed next to Inuyasha. The group all ran over to the two half demons, and realized that both were dead. A bitter sweet feeling washed over the three remaining allies. Kagome could do nothing but stare at the two men in front of her, and only pray that her wish would work.

Taking the tainted and unfinished Shikon Jewel, she melded her shard with the jewel and a pulse of energy went through her. Then she heard a voice,

"Miko whom restored me and purified my soul, I shall grant you any wish that you so desire. Though do well to remember this; to revive one I must take the life of the holder whom wished for said life to be saved. Heed my words and choose thy wish well… for the wish cannot be undone. Once granted, you may never undo what you have done."

Feeling troubled, she asked her friends,

"Hey… did you guys hear what the Jewel said?"

"Wait, the jewel talked? We didn't hear anything."

"Yes, Sango and I heard nothing…"

"Well… I guess I know what I want… hey guys… tell Shippo I loved him like he was my own, and please tell Inuyasha that… well… I'll miss him very much… and I'll miss you guys as well."

"What do you mean Kagome? What's going to happen when you make your wish?"

"Um… you'll find out when it happens…"

Tears began to stream down Kagome's cheeks, as she made her wish,

"Oh great and powerful Miko of the Shikon Jewel, I wish with all my heart that you revive Inuyasha in exchange for my life. That is my final wish."

The voice once again spoke,

"If this is what you wish, I shall grant you what you desire."

In an instant, Kagome could feel herself slowly fading away. As she faded, she could see the life returning to Inuyasha. When the process was over, and Kagome was conscious once more, she noticed she was in the same spot. She looked around at her friends to find that they were all staring in horror at her. Perplexed, she had to know what was going on,

"Guys, what's wrong? I'm okay! See? I'm right here!!"

Miroku and Sango then went over to her, but they weren't looking at her. They were looking behind her—no, right _through _her! She looked behind her, and saw what she didn't want to see; it was her body, limp and pale. Now in shock, she had no idea what to think; Inuyasha had woken up when he heard Miroku and Sango calling her name worriedly. As Kagome watched the chaos unfold, she noticed a strange chain that went from her body back to her. It was connected to her chest with a metal, hexagon shaped thing that was bolted to her chest. Thought it startled her, when she looked over, the look on Inuyasha's face only proved to make her even more regretful of her decision. He had tears running down his face in rivers; his face contorted in an angry, frustrated look. Underneath that she knew was the pain and torment of him reliving old memories and the re-opening of wounds long since past. While Inuyasha hugged her body and screamed for answers to her strange death, she couldn't help but shed a tear for the hanyou that she had left in this world, left to remember for an eternity.

When the three were consoled and Shippo had been calmed, they carried her body back to Kaede's hut so that she may be dressed properly. As she followed, she noticed that Miroku had sensed her presence. However he must have passed it off as a breeze and continued to walk along with his comrades. As Kagome followed, she could hear their conversation,

"Inuyasha… do you remember what you saw when you were dead?"

"Uh kinda… I remember having this chain of some sort that was attached to my chest, and it was connecting me to my body. I couldn't figure out what the hell it was, but it was weird. I didn't expect that when I died."

"Strange… well, now that Kagome's passed on… her parents must be notified."

This proclamation was what Inuyasha was fearing the most. He didn't want to be the bearer of bad news to the family who'd trusted him with their daughter's life. He just didn't feel right about it. However he was the only one who could pass through the well, so he was the one who had to do the deed. As he contemplated what he was going to say, his thoughts were interrupted when Kaede came out of her hut to find Kagome's body laying limp in his arms,

"Oh my… oh dear I'd hoped this wouldn't happen… oh Kagome, you poor soul… if only you hadn't wished to revive Inuyasha… although at her age, she had yet to realize that reviving Inuyasha was one of the most selfish things in the world. She may have thought it was a good thing, but now he must bear the pain of having lost another love. I wish ye well, dear sweet child of the future…."

Inuyasha remained silent from that point on. At least until it was time to take Kagome back to her mother, grandfather and brother. He began to speak quietly to Kagome's body, not realizing that she was right there. There was no way for him to realize anyway, she was a ghost! Kagome listened to his words, and heard things that made her blush heavily. When they finally got to the well, Kagome decided she would go with Inuyasha. As she watched Sango, Miroku and a bawling Shippo, her heart began to break. It was so hard for her to comprehend not being able to say bye back to them. Finally, Inuyasha prepared to go down the well. Just as he jumped, Kagome followed him. Down the well they went, into the flashing light that told them that they were going to the future. This was the last time she was going to be able to see this, so she took in as much of it as she could before she ended up on the other side, right next to Inuyasha and… her body. One thing she noticed though was that the chain seemed to be slack on her body, as well as on herself. Then she realized that the chain had been severed when they went through the well,

"Oh god! Well… it doesn't seem to _do _anything… so I guess it's like an umbilical cord after you're born. I guess that means that I can do what I want. In fact, that's a _great _idea!! Woohoo!!"

With her cheer, she ran off towards town, not thinking twice about going to see the reaction of her family. However her name being screemed from shrine told her that it was better for her not to have seen her mother mourning over her loss. Her mother's yelling only served to make Kagome go faster. Finally she ended up at the McDonald's that her and her friends always went to. She found her friends there, eating and having a great time. Kagome tried calling to them and waving, but when there was no response, she was instantly reminded that she was not but a spirit now. Slightly downtrodden, she walked aimlessly around Tokyo, hoping to find something fun to do. As she walked along, she heard something; it seemed like a beastly roar. Ignoring the sound, she brushed it off as the soul of a demon that had passed on. However she had a change of heart when the roar came much closer. When she turned around to look at what it was, she was scared half to death to see a beast that stood ten feet tall, with a white mask covering its face. When the monster spotted her, Kagome ran as fast as she could in the opposite direction.

She kept running through city streets, little allyways, and all sorts of things, but the monster continued to pursue her. It was like there was no end to the chase, and her legs were burning. Her lungs as well. Finally she spotted a park, and ran towards a group of bushes. She dove under them, hoping to hide from the beast. To her amazement, it seemed to work pretty well. She got a surprise when it began to speak,

"Oh little spirit, where have you gone to? I'm pretty hungry you know, so you shouldn't keep me waiting!"

The fact that the beast could speak wasn't a big deal, but when she first saw the thing, she didn't think that thing would be able to talk. Well, she knew now,

"I can smell you! You must be…" there was silence, "Here!!"

The beast blew the bushes away and uncovered Kagome,

"I see, so you tried to hide under the bushes, ay? Well that won't work with me girlie! Now get ready to be eaten—"

Just as the creature finished it's sentence, Kagome watched as a white line traced itself through the beast's body, and as the thing split in half, it turned to dust and blew away. When she looked around for her savior, she saw a man dressed in a black kimono, with spiky, bright orange hair. The look on his face was a little intimidating, but when he looked at Kagome, his face softened and his voice gave her a comforting feeling,

"Hey, looks like I made it in time. Now then, it's time to perform the konso."

"What the—what's a kon—" Kagome was cut off when she felt the man tap her on the forehead with the bottom of his sword's hilt, and she was enveloped by a blue light, and disappeared.

* * *

When she woke up, she was dressed in a crimson kimono, with cherry blossom petals that decorated the lower half, and her sash was cherry red. She got up, and looked around to find that she was in what looked like a rural village that mimicked the ones she had seen 250 years ago. She saw many people walking around, and most of them glanced at her, then brushed her off. It perplexed her, and she didn't understand. Then she saw a group of kids running through the streets at top speed, with an older man chasing them, screaming at them to give his goods back. Wanting to save the kids, she started running after them. Through the town they went, around corners, through little allies, and so on. Finally Kagome was able to catch the man and bring him down,

"What the fuck—who the hell are you?!"

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that those kids get something to eat!"

"They didn't pay for the food, so why the fuck should they get a goddamn crumb?!"

"They're children! Children need food to grow up and be healthy, just like you and me—"

"Ah shit I know what you are… you're a new kid on the block. Listen lady, I can forgive ya' for this since that's the case, but I'm gonna tell ya' somethin' right now, in this world, if you don't got spirit energy, you don't gotta eat a damn thing! You can eat just for the hell of it! Just be warned, you better pay for what you want to eat, else you're gonna fight off an army of cranky store owners, got it?"

"Y-yeah…"

"Good, now get the fuck offa' me!!"

Kagome hopped up off of the man, who gave her a sour look as he walked back to his shop. The idea of not having to eat made Kagome remember that she was dead. Since people could see her, that meant that this entire village was made up of spirits, more or less. When that thought crossed her mind, she almost freaked out. The entire concept itself was amazing; had all of these souls gone through the same thing she did? Did they all have a konso performed on them? That seemed like the only way for all these people to get here. Her thoughts were ended when a little girl, no more than five or six came up to her. She was one of the children running from the shop vender. She had a deep red blush on her face and she looked timidly at Kagome before speaking,

"T…thank you…"

"Oh don't worry, I was happy to help you out! What's your name?"

"V-Viveka…"

"That doesn't sound Japanese, you must be from somewhere else. Do you remember where?"

"N-n-no… w-what your name?"

"Higurashi Kagome! Now tell me, how old are you?"

"S-six…"

"Are you now? Well that's wonderful! Say, where have your friends run off to?"

The girl stayed silent. This wasn't what she was expecting of the little girl, so Kagome tried once more,

"Do you know where they are?"

Viveka remained silent. Huffing in defeat, she picked the girl up and looked her in the eyes,

"W-w-w-what are y-y-you d-d-d-oing?!!"

"Well, I'm going to take me with you until you lead me to your friends!"

"I don't wanna!! Put me down!!!"

"Well I will if you tell me where your friends are. I don't want to hurt them, I want to _help _them! You want help from an adult, right?"

"No, we don't need no help from no old lady!!"

"Well I'm certainly not an old lady, and it looks to me like you guys need some help. Now show me where your friends are!"

Viveka thought long and hard, and finally decided she was going to let her know where her friends were,

"Th…they're over there, in that direction…"

"Okay then, thank you so much Viveka! Now when we get there, I'll be able to help you guys get food every day and make sure you guys get the proper treatment you deserve!"

"Th… Thank… you…"

The girl on Kagome's shoulders held her tight while they walked in the direction that Viveka pointed in. As they were getting near a run-down hut at the edge of the district, Kagome spotted one of the boys that had been running. When he looked over and saw Viveka on Kagome's shoulders, he instantly ran into the hut. When he returned, there were two other boys with him, all holding some sort of farming implement. They looked at Kagome with disgust before yelling,

"You let go of Vivi-chan or we'll kill you!"

"Hold your horses! I'm not here to hurt you, I want to help you! Please, put down those tools!"

"Not on your life, hag!"

"Hey now, I resent being called a hag when I'm only seventeen, be respectful!"

The boy in front, the eldest child of the household, stepped forward. He slowly analyzed Kagome as he got closer to her. He went all the way around Kagome, and finally stopped when he was back in front of her. He gave her one last look from head to toe and back and then spoke,

"You don't _seem _to be dangerous… but we can't be too sure! Go into the hut, and put Vivi-chan down!"

"Alright alright, sheesh!"

Kagome set the girl down on her feet, and when she was finally on the ground, she ran into the house. The other two boys followed suit. Shortly after the eldest boy and Kagome walked in. Once inside, Kagome could see that the children really had a problem; most of the house was empty, and the only thing that was of any use was the little fire pit in the center of the house, which had a cauldron of some sort in the middle. 'They must use that to cook' she thought. The oldest boy looked her right in the eye, and gave her a stern look before saying,

"Okay lady, because we don't know if you're carrying any weapons, take off your cloths!"

Kagome was miffed; a boy of no more than ten just told her, a seventeen year old girl, to take off her clothes. There was no way he was going to get away with it,

"Like hell I'll take my clothes off you little perv! I told you once, I'm not here to hurt you, I'm here to help you!!"

"How do we know you're not just lying?"

"Because, I will show you some proof that I'm not dangerous."

Kagome pulled her kimono in many directions so that it would show the outline of her body. When there was no irregularity in her figure, the boy seemed mildly satisfied. However he wasn't completely satisfied yet,

"Just because you do that doesn't mean you don't have any weapons! If you won't take off your cloths, we'll _make _you!"

"I'll say it again, I am _not _taking off my cloths! Especially for _you _little perverts!"

"Fine, if you don't want us to see, we'll go outside and we'll let Vivi-chan look at you!"

"Fine then, now GTFO you guys!"

Looking at her weird, they vacated the hut. When she was sure that the windows were covered and the door was blocked, she began undressing,

"Okay, you believe me when I say I don't have any weapons, right Viveka-chan?"

"Of course! You're a nice person… you wouldn't hurt anyone."

"I'm glad you think so. So, can I keep my cloths on?"

"Yeah, you can I guess…"

"You seem unsure… is that because you don't want to disobey your friends?"

"Kind of…"

"Do you really want to see me in the nude? Oh I get it, you're just curious, aren't you?"

Viveka blushed heavily and shook her head up and down to show that she was curious,

"Well, I suppose I could show you… but I'll only show you some things, okay?"

"O-okay!"

With that Kagome opened up the top of her Kimono to expose her chest. The little girl looked at her breasts with great interest, as if trying to figure out how they got there. Feeling that an explanation was in order, Kagome began to elaborate,

"You see these? They're breasts, which all the older girls have when they're my age. You won't have any until you're older, but you'll have some. Here, you can play with them if you want!"

The girl timidly reached up and began to squeeze them with her little hands, and after a bit bounced them up and down. When she was done, she sat back down with a sheepish grin and a much darker blush,

"So… I'm going to have breasts as well?"

"Of course silly! Didn't your parents ever teach you that?"

"N-no… I don't have any parents… none of us do… after we came here, we weren't able to find our parents… so when we found each other, we decided to live together. Now we consider ourselves brothers and I'm the only sister."

"Oh… I see… well, would you like me to stay?"

"Y-yes, I want you to stay but… the others don't like adults… they think that grown-ups are all bad, and there isn't a good one. I think they're wrong, but that's just the way they think…"

As Kagome thought about the children's situation, her need to stay here grew. Not only did they not have parents, but their untrusting attitude against adults caused them to shun and treat adults terribly. It was official; she was going to stay at this house for as long as these children needed help. Even if she had to _make _them understand,

"Well, if they try and kick me out, they're just going to have to deal with me staying here. They'll learn eventually they need someone like me around…"

Kagome gave a cat like grin, which made Vivika giggle in response. Ready for the three boys to get back into the house, she called to them,

"Alright boys, you can come back in!"

When she cleared the entrance, they all shuffled in and looked right at Vivika, expecting an answer,

"Vivi-chan, what did you see?"

"W-well… she doesn't have any weapons, and she has breasts."

"She has breasts? What do you mean?"

"Well… she has two round things on her chest called breasts. All girls her age have them."

"Are they dangerous?"

"No, they were actually soft and bouncy."

"Well, I suppose if they're soft and bouncy they aren't too dangerous… you say all girls have them?"

"Y-yeah… or so Kagome said."

"Who's Kagome?"

"That's Kagome. She saved us from the angry shop owner."

The boy thought long and hard about that, and realized that he and the other boys had treated her wrongly for what she had done,

"Alright Kagome… listen, thank you and all for saving us and stuff, but I don't think we need your help."

"Look who's talking. _You're _the one who has to go stealing from other people just to sustain you, your brothers and your sister."

"Well we do fine like that anyway, we don't need any help!"

"Well listen, I'm staying whether you like it or not, and if you can't stand it just go somewhere else while I take care of the others, kay?"

The boy thought about this hard as well. Given such a choice, and the way Kagome proposed it, it seemed like he might as well give it a try,

"Fine, you can stay. I'm warning you though, no funny business! One wrong move and you're outta' here!"

"Well said! Now, what are all your names?"

"Well, this is Daisuke, this is Yoshiro, and I'm Teijo."

"Oh I see, well your name suits your personality just fine! Anyway, it's getting late! Shouldn't you be getting to bed?"

"Like we need to sleep! We don't go to bed till halfway through the night anyway—"

"You mean to tell me you guys go to bed that _late?! _That's no good! It's a good idea to go to sleep early so you get up early as well! Please believe me when I say that! In fact, I'll help you guys get into the habit! Common now, change into your pajamas and get into bed!"

"Pajamas? What are we, children? We sleep naked!"

"As a matter of fact you are only children. Although I don't like that you all sleep in the nude, I will ignore it. However for all of your sakes you should at least learn to wear some form of clothing when you go to bed! As for _this _little one, she's going to get some new pj's when I go out to look for a job tomorrow! Now, everyone, in bed! Hurry up, we don't have all night! Sleep is a precious thing, you don't want to lose any do you?"

When everything finally settled down and the four children asleep, Kagome sat out on the patio and watched the moon. It was a full moon tonight, and she loved to watch the full moon; it helped her to think when things got Chaotic. After the incident of wishing for Inuyasha to be revived, and having her life taken from her in exchange for it, she had to wonder; how selfish was she really being? If Kaede's words were any indication, then she was being overly selfish. Now she was dead however, so none of it seemed to matter; at least, it _shouldn't _have mattered. What perplexed Kagome most was the fact that life after death was just trying to live in a village where other dead souls lived. She had no idea where she was or what she was meant to do, but she knew for one thing she had to survive. Whether or not she could do so would come with her attempt at getting a job. Once she had a job, she would be able to support the children and hopefully educate them somewhat to the point where they could live on their own. What would she do after that though? She had no idea how long she would be here anyway, so why bother trying to take care of the kids anyway? She knew why she did though; she felt so sorry for them that she couldn't let them fend for themselves even if she wanted them to. With her resolve to help these children set in her mind, and her goal of getting a job in the morning, she stared long and hard at the moon for one last time before crawling into the hut and going to sleep herself.

* * *

Well sports fans, what did you think? I have an idea where I want this to go, but if you see any similarities between my story and ConsistantlyInconsistant's 'Death Is Only the Beginning', then just realize that I've had the same idea for quite some time, and until I read that I had no idea someone had already done something like it. As such, I'll credit the writer of the story for using the idea, ConsistantlyInconsistant. As for me, I'm hoping that my story will take a different direction from her's so that we don't end up doing the same thing. Anyway, hoped you all enjoyed it, so please review and have a wonderful day!

-JT Jewels


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Bleach so lawyers can GTFO to Siberia!

Hello sports fans, and welcome to the next chapter of "A Life After Death Situation"! I was actually very surprised at how many people liked my story! Usually when I start a story, I end up with one review after two chapters, and like one or two story alerts… but this story is different! Seriously though, thank you to all of the people who have taken interest in my story and I hope you keep on reading! Well, here's the next chapter! Please R&R!

* * *

The sun was setting on the horizon, and it seemed like time stood still; the town seemed lifeless, it's residents all indoors where some ate supper, others getting ready for a night on the town, some even getting ready for a trip. However there was one boy, standing about six feet tall, walking with a girl whom which was _much _shorter than him, about four feet eleven inches. Both of them were adorned in a black Kimono. They could not be seen, nor heard by anyone but spirits, and others dressed in a black kimono. Both were going in the direction of a little shop on a small side street. The sign above the shop read 'Urahara Shop'. As they approached, two kids came up; a boy with fiery red hair, and a girl with jet black hair. Seeing the two visitors, the boy went into the shop and shouted,

"Yo boss! It's Ichigo and Rukia!"

"Wonderful! Send'em in!"

"Gotcha'! Alright you two, go ahead."

With a nod from both, they all went into the shop. Upon entering the back room, they saw a man with a bucket hat, wearing a dark greenish-grey coat with a diamond pattern along the bottom, with a dark green shirt under it and matching green pants. He also wore traditional wooden sandals. He had pale blond hair and blue eyes that were hidden beneath the rim of his hat. When Ichigo and Rukia entered the room, he looked up and began to greet them,

"Why hello there you two, long time no see!"

"Sure thing Urahara, now what is it you need us for?"

"I see you're eager to get started Ichigo! Well, hold your horses, because I've yet to finish planning."

"Great, so you mean to tell me you pulled us all the way over here just to tell us you don't even have a _plan?! _I swear one of these times I'm going to kill you."

"Settle down Ichigo, I never said I didn't have anything _planned, _I simply said I wasn't done planning yet. Although if you _wish _I suppose you could go out looking for lost souls while you're waiting."

"What the hell mister hat 'n' clogs, first you send for us and now you're telling us to get lost? Fine, I'm outta' here."

"Wait, Ichigo!"

"Let'im go Rukia… he'll come running back when I set the plan in motion… _heh heh!"_

'I don't like the tone of his voice…' thought Rukia pensively.

* * *

After an hour, Ichigo had successfully performed fifteen konso and killed over fifty hollow. Despite being so bored, he continued to look for lost souls and hollows. While he was looking, he suddenly sensed a strong hollow. He followed the reiatsu signature till he came across an ugly looking hollow that seemed to be speaking to a soul. When the hollow told the soul to prepare itself to be eaten, Ichigo used shunpo to get within fighting distance, and landed a fatal blow through the hollow, cutting it in half. When the hollow disintegrated, he saw the soul it was after. It was a girl in her teens, with black hair and dark chocolate brown eyes. She was dressed in a school uniform. The colors were green and white with a red ascot, which meant she was from a different district. Despite this, she was a dead soul, so he needed to perform a konso,

"Looks like I made it just in time. Well, time to perform the konso."

The girl went to protest, but was cut short when Ichigo performed the soul burial. Just as the soul flew away as a hell butterfly, he sensed an exponential increase in Rukia's reiatsu,

"What the hell? What's going on over there? I'd better go see!"

With that Ichigo went back in the direction of the Urahara Shop. The closer he got, the more he could sense other reiatsu from two others; he recognized them when he got within a quarter of a mile from the shop; the sources were from Shinji and Hiyori,

"Oh great, what do those losers want?"

"I wouldn't take them lightly at the moment Ichigo."

Startled, Ichigo looked over to see a smirking Yoruichi,

"Well if it isn't Yoruichi. Just why the hell are Shinji and Hiyori over at Urahara's and why is it that—" just before he mentioned Rukia's Reiatsu, he felt it instantly return to normal,

"Er—uh, why is it that Rukia's spirit pressure flared up like that?"

"Because she doesn't know who they are. When Urahara explained it to her, she probably got the message. Let's hurry though, because you're a vital part of this plan!"

"O-okay, whatever you say Yoruichi…"

They had arrived at the shop to find that Shinji was making polite conversation with Urahara, and Hiyori was sitting on the steps with her arms crossed, making her trademark scowl. When the landed, both Vizards gave a big smile when they recognized Ichigo,

"Well well, I'm glad you finally showed up, Ichigo."

"Where the hell were you, you dumbass?!!"

"Where was I?! I was out killing hollows and saving souls, what the hell _else _would I be doing?!"

"I don't know, fapping to porn?!"

"What?!! I'd _never _do that!! Don't even _try _to make me look like a pervert!!"

"Well you are!"

"I am _not!!"_

"Enough you two! Urahara's got a plan, and he can't put it into motion if you two numbskulls don't shut up and listen."

"Fine! Alright Kurosaki, we finish this when this thing is over!"

"Whatever…"

"Alrighty then, let's get down to business! Okay, for you two, Shinji and Hiyori, I would like you guys to fight with Ichigo simultaneously."

"What the hell?!! What kind of plan is _that?!!"_

"A damn good one if you ask me Urahara taicho—er, Kisuke!! Let's go get'im Shinji!!"

"Ah-ah-ah, you can't fight here, you have to fight where I tell you to Hiyori-chan!"

"Whatever, just take us there!!"

"Alright, follow me!"

The group all funneled inside of the shop, following Urahara to the back room. He flipped open one of the tatami panels and revealed the hidden entrance to the underground training facility. When they all got down to the bottom of the endless staircase, Shinji and Hiyori were absolutely amazed at what they saw,

"Hey Urahara… did we just climb into a climate controlled desert?"

"Not quite Shinji! This is my lovely training room!!"

"Well it ain't nothin' special I guess…"

"Oh how could you say that my former fukutaicho?!"

"Stop calling me your former lieutenant!!"

"Oh no, after all this time my sweet Hiyori-chan still hates me!!"

"I don't hate you Kisuke, but I've got a grudge for making me the supervisor of that damn research and development bureau!!"

"You didn't like your job?! I thought you would love it!"

"Well I didn't, so go suck it Kisuke!!"

"Noooo!!!"

"Would both of you just shut the flying fuck up and get on with the training?!!"

"Ah yes, thank you for reminding me Ichigo! Okay, now I want you guys to attack Ichigo simultaneously while he's in hollow form. Just make sure when he's in his berserker mode, don't kill him. Just bring him to near death I guess."

"Near death?!! What the hell are you going to do with me Urahara?!!"

"Well, if what Uryuu and Orihime say is true, then you have unlocked a berserker mode of sorts that gives you a complete hollowfication. However in that berserker mode, you lose most of your conscience and become almost completely hollow. It seems that Orihime was the key in unlocking this and then turning off that same berserker mode. However I don't have any doubts that it will return, whether or not Orihime is there or not. That's where this training comes in; these two will awaken the hollow spirit inside you, and trigger the berserker mode. Hopefully this fight will be enough to bring out the hollow in you."

"You know… I kinda' remember hearing about that… but I don't understand how I transformed… I just kinda' died. Then, when I woke up, the hole in my chest that Ulquiorra made had disappeared into thin air, and I was completely healed. I had no recollection of ever tearing off his arm and leg, or even mortally wounding him. It was the strangest thing…"

"Don't worry Ichigo, we'll fix that. Now, stand still!"

"Wait what—" Urahara knocked him out before he could protest. With the adolescent successfully in training mode, Urahara called in Hachigen to make the barrier. With the barrier made, the two Vizards who were to combat Ichigo during his training stepped into the opening in the barrier before Hachi closed it and sealed all three of the combating Vizards inside.

* * *

Ichigo woke up to find himself on a large skyscraper. He was on its side, and the world around him was made up of blue colored buildings and skyscrapers with a bright blue sky and puffy white clouds. No matter how many times Ichigo came here, he never recognized where he was. He never exactly knew either. However if there is one thing that Ichigo learned about coming here, he learned that it meant he had to defeat some ugly sucker that would give him some awesome new power he never had before. Indeed this was no exception, when a human like beast with horns pointing forward and a mask that extended from its head to cover his shoulders appeared before him. It had long hair that went to its legs, and flames went around its neck, wrists and ankles. When Ichigo looked at the entity, chills went up his spine, and his mind went numb with fear. His eyes dilated and he froze. The figure approached him, to which Ichigo instinctually activated his Bankai and fell into stance. The figure stopped about five feet from Ichigo, and held up a white Zangetsu. Recognizing the zanpakuto, Ichigo wondered if this was his inner hollow,

"Hey, are you my inner hollow?"

"Oh no, you don't recognize your own hollow?! Well, how about I turn into something… more recognizable!"

The creature reached up to its mask, and pulled it off to reveal dark Ichigo,

"You're—"

"That's right, your inner hollow! Although, I made a few transformations while we were in Hueco Mundo!!"

"What do you mean?!"

"I… grew up!"

"Grew up?"

"Yes, I grew up to become the hollow I always wanted to be!! I also became _so _much stronger!! Strong enough to take you over yet again… though not entirely."

"What do you mean by 'not entirely'?"

"My aren't we full off questions today! What I mean is your conscience was still kinda there while I was… killing Ulquiorra Seifer."

"You BASTARD! _I _was going to kill him, I didn't need your help!!"

"Oh but he killed _you_! Isn't that enough reason for your fellow inner hollow to help out—"

"I was _not _dead!!"

"With a big ass hole in your chest and lying down on the ground unconscious, wouldn't you call that being dead?!"

"Shut UP!!"

"Well, whatever… I'm going to kill you anyways and make sure that you are gone _forever!! _Then I can take you over and become the most powerful hollow anyone has ever _seen!! Ahahahahahaaaaaaaa!!!"_

The maniacal laugh caused Ichigo's whole body to freeze and go numb with fear. While the paralysis only lasted for a second, that's all it took for his inner hollow to take a swing at him. Luckily Ichigo was able to recover in time to block the attack,

"I won't let you take me over… I will _never _let you take over!!"

"Say what you want, it won't change the fact that you still don't have the power to defeat me!!"

"Hey, I defeated you once, I can do it again!!"

"Whatever, just shut up and fight!!"

The two broke apart, and then charged at one another once more, their swords producing bright blue sparks. They continued their assault on one another, constantly swinging their swords at one another. At one point Dark Ichigo parried Ichigo's vertical slice and made to cut his back, but he missed as Ichigo used shunpo to get away in time. The hollow, using sonido, got behind Ichigo once more and finally landed a blow to his back. The large gash spanning Ichigo's entire back spewed forth blood, spattering across Dark Ichigo's mask,

"Augh, dammit!!"

"Hahahaaa, I told you, you wouldn't beat me!!"

"Like hell!! Getsuga Tensho!!!"

Ichigo let go with a very powerful Getsuga Tensho, which hit Dark Ichigo hard. However it was instantly rendered null by Dark Ichigo's hierro,

"So, you think you can kill me with that week assed attack?! HA! You'll have to do much better than that if you want my power, do you hear me?!!"

Dark Ichigo put another deep gash into Ichigo's back, forming a large 'X' pattern in his back. The 'X' began to glow shortly after it's completion, and Ichigo screamed bloody murder,

"Augh!! What… the… fuck did you… do—augh!!!"

"it's simple! I cut you in such a way that my cero begins to eat away at your wounds, and eventually spreading to eat away at the rest of your body!!"

"Fuck… that…"

Ichigo stood up straight, ignoring the pain that came with it, and faced Dark Ichigo. While staring into his eyes, Ichigo boosted his reiatsu to the point that it was at full strength. Then, he pulled on his hollow mask,

"What the—how the hell did you manage to put on your mask?! You shouldn't be able to do that here!!"

"Don't you realize it yet… if I can use bankai here, I can use my hollow powers as well. By doing that, I can also drain your powers so that we're fighting on equal ground."

"Well well… aren't we clever… it doesn't matter though!! I'll _still _kick your ass around the block and back again and take over this sorry consciousness of yours!!"

"We'll see about that!! Get ready, here I come!"

Ichigo charged forward and sliced horizontally, missing by less than an inch. He continued his offensive with a Gestuga Tensho, which wounded Dark Ichigo, but not fatally. Dark Ichigo, taking the last attack as a chance for his own offensive, he used sonido to get behind Ichigo once again, but Ichigo was able to read his movements before he was able to get behind him. He blocked the oncoming attack, and the two of them stayed like that, staring at one another with disgust. Ichigo parried behind his dark self and landed an upward horizontal cut. This slowed down Dark Ichigo, and he resorted to shunpo to get away from Ichigo. However his attempts to escape were in vain as Ichigo flash stepped right into his dark side's face and stabbed him right through the heart,

"Can't beat you, huh? Gonna kick my ass around the block and back, huh? Well what now, mother fucker?"

"I… guess you win another one… you know, you're getting too fucking strong. You need to stop it, else I'll never have a chance at getting this body for myself!"

"Heh, good luck you hollow bastard…"

With those last words, the hollow faded and Ichigo came out victorious.

* * *

Shinji and Hiyori struggled to keep the newly hollowfied Ichigo under wraps, as he nearly bounced off of the walls of the barrier. They escaped fatal blows many times, but it was still hard enough for them to keep him in line when he was like this. They had never seen anything like this before either; it was like a resurreccion. It had been about fifty minutes. Now Ichigo was showing signs of being in conscious control of himself. The final sign of his consciousness returning is when he paused for a second and looked upward. When he looked back at Shinji, he removed his mask and the rest of his body returned to normal. He had completed the procedure,

"Bravo Ichigo! The test was successful!"

"T-t-test?!! You've got to be fucking kidding me!! I went through all of that, all so that you can tell me I was a guinea pig?! What the hell Urahara!!"

"Don't worry Ichigo, it was a successful test, and you yourself are proof of this. Why not forget about this and just be happy you have control of that ultimate power?!"

"… Fine. Well, I guess if this is the end of the testing, let's get going Rukia."

"O-okay Ichigo…"

The two of them left, and just as they disappeared, the two Vizards started towards the exit themselves, but were stopped by Urahara,

"Yo Hiyori… how are you doing?"

"… I'm doing fine, why do you ask?"

"Well, I kinda' worried about you for the last century, you know?"

"No I don't know. Common Shinji, let's get the hell out of here."

"Alright Hiyori."

"Hey Shinji-san, please stay behind for a second. You go on ahead Hiyori."

"Whatever."

Hiyori left, while Shinji stayed behind so that Urahara could speak to him,

"Okay, what's up?

"It's about the rest of the Vizards. Am I correct in saying that none of you have gone through this berserker mode?"

"Yes."

"Then tell me; do you know of anything like this?"

"I thought you would know, but I guess if you're asking me then no."

"Huh… that's okay. I'll just have to test Ichigo to see what's up with it, and whether or not you guys are susceptible to it."

"Sounds good. Just make sure when you get the results you talk to me about it. Just because we have four captains in our group doesn't mean they're all fit to hear about it."

"Makes sense. I know what you mean."

"Alright, if that's all you've got to say, I'll be heading out—"

"Wait, I have one other thing that I was told to tell you."

"And what would that be?"

"Well… Head Captain Yamamoto has offered to let you come back to the Soul Society as a secret task force. That is, if you really want to."

"… I'll think about it. I'll run it by the others, but I don't think that they'll find the offer too appealing."

"Wouldn't it be pretty cool to be a part of a newly formed group within the Gotei 13?"

"I said I'll think about it. Alright, I'm gone."

With that, Shinji left.

* * *

As Rukia and Ichigo walked to Ichigo's house, the two could sense a hollow's presence appear, then disappear. Then it came back, soon afterward fading once again. After a few more flashes of the hollow's presence, it seemed to vanish. Thinking that one of the local Shinigami killed it off, they ignored it and continued to walk home. However while they were walking along, they were greeted by a rather frantic Kon,

"Nee-san, Nee-san!!"

"What is it Kon?"

"Nee-san, it's terrible, so _so _terrible!!"

"Kon, tell us what's wrong!"

"There was this big, powerful hollow that attacked the house! I have no idea whether or not everyone is alive or not…"

"Dammit! We have to hurry Rukia!"

"Right! Meet you there Kon!"

"Kay…"

With that the two flash stepped to the house, which was in ruin. Ichigo looked around frantically for his family, wondering if they were alright. Then he heard Karin,

"Ichigo!!"

"Karin!!"

"Ichigo, what the hell is this chain sticking out of my chest?!!"

Those words made Ichigo's blood run cold. Had his sister really died? He hesitantly looked for his sister, only to find her body under some of the rubble. A thick chain extended to another spot where he saw Karin's spirit holding onto Yuzu, whom which was also bound by her chain of fate,

"Karin… Yuzu… what the hell happened?!"

"It was one of those hollow things that I've heard you talking about!"

"I knew it… well, you guys are dead just so you know."

Both of them gasped in shock. Yuzu began to bawl instantly, while Karin tried to hold back tears and be strong, but began to bawl as well,

"Listen… it'll be okay, I'll send you guys off to the Soul Society myself."

"The –sniffle—what?"

"I'll explain another time okay, I'll perform the konso right now."

Just before Ichigo could begin the konso however, he was stopped by someone. When he looked around his shoulders, he saw someone he was not expecting,

"Dad?!"

"Yo! I see my boy's become a fine Shinigami, just like is old man!!"

"Can it! Just what the hell—oh my god, you're a shinigami?!"

"What, you couldn't tell by the outfit?"

"Wait that haori on your shoulder… you're a captain?!!"

"_Was _a captain. I retired about 20 years ago."

"You retired? Then why the hell—you know I should ask you why the _hell _you didn't save your daughters and _my _sisters?!"

"Oh, that…. Well, the hollow I fought was an easy fight."

"If that's so, then why are they dead?!"

"… I don't know. From what I can tell it must have been some poison that the hollow released when I killed it, effectively killing the girls. Even then, I still don't know if that's the cause."

"Well, Kurosaki taicho—"

"Please my dear sweet Rukia, call me daddy—oof!"

"Careful Isshin, don't do anything you'll regret!"

"Y…yes ma'am…"

"Anyway, if the hollow is dead, then how come I still sense its presence?"

"That I can tell you with certainty is because of the small traces of reiatsu that it left behind after I killed it."

"It left traces? That's strange…"

"I don't know how else to put it guys, that's about the only way I can explain it properly."

"Well, we'll have to talk to the research and development bureau about this. Kurotsuchi taicho should know what happened."

"We'd better hope so, 'cause that guy won't do a damn thing if it doesn't interest him."

"Don't worry Ichigo, this will defiantly pique his interest."

"If you say so."

"Alright you two, go on to the Soul Society. I'll stay here and keep guard should anything else go awry."

"Alright pop, see ya."

"From now on you call me Daddy taicho—oof!!"

"Can it pop! Anyway, we'll see ya' later."

"O-okay Ichigo, good luck!"

Now that the situation was settled, the two current shinigami went to Urahara shop to begin their investigation of the events,

"Hey Urahara," there was no answer, "Kisuke," still no answer. Ichigo and Rukia went into the underground training facility to see if he was hiding down there, but he wasn't. They went all the way around the thing, and yet there was no sign of Urahara. To make matters worse, Tessai, Jinta and Ururu were missing as well,

"Great, even Jinta and Ururu are gone! Where the _hell _could all of them have gone?!"

He was answered when Ururu waltzed up to him with her trademark sheepish look,

"Hello, are you looking for Urahara-san?"

"Yes actually, we need him to open the Senkaimon."

Rukia looked at him and performed the perfect prat fall before saying,

"Ichigo, is that what you wanted? I can open one right now!"

"Wait—what?!"

"Don't you remember? All royal family members have a personal key to unlock the senkaimon to use personally!"

"You know now that you mention it, I remember hearing something like that!"

"Okay! Anyway, tell Urahara we need to speak with him within the next couple of days, kay Ururu-chan?"

"I will."

"Thank you. Okay Ichigo, let's go."

With a clear idea of what they needed to do, Ichigo and Rukia went to the soul society to consult Mayuri.

* * *

Well, what did you guys think? Seriously though, I would like to thank everyone who's read this so far and I hope you keep enjoying this while it keeps going! Anyways, please review and have a wonderful day!

-JT Jewels


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Bleach. So lawyers to can go catch aids from a midget prostitute!

Hello sports fans, and welcome to another chapter of "A Life After Death Situation"! A big thank you to everyone who's read this so far, and I appreciate the reviews! Albeit it's only a total of seven (I looked this morning… XD) but that still makes me want to write more! Well, I hope you enjoy this next chapter, and please R&R!

**Update**** 9/7/09**: Hey! I updated this chapter so that it made more sense... mostly because I started writing the fifth chapter and I ended up writing something completely different than what was in this chapter! If you're new to this story, then pay this update no mind. Of course if you're returning, then please keep in mind the change. Anyways, please enjoy the chapter!

* * *

About a week after Kagome had arrived here in the Soul Society, she learned a lot of things. She lived in a place called the Rukongai, which surrounded a place called the Seireitei. The Seireitei is where shingami, also called soul reapers, reside. She also learned that the only ways to escape the hard life of the Rukongai is to either attempt entering the Shingami Academe, or wait to be resurrected. Since the latter option was out of the question, she would need to become a soul reaper if she wished to live in a better environment. Despite the living conditions however, she loved where she was. She loved the kids like her own, and they made every day for her an adventure. Another adventure for her was going to work every morning. She had gotten a job as a sales clerk at one of the fruit stands one or two blocks from where her house was. It was a quick walk, and she rather enjoyed working as a clerk. She usually raked in enough money to buy whatever it was that they needed, minus fruit, because she got it free for working the stall. She also began to save up so that she could take the kids and move to a calmer district than they were. They were in the forties, so there wasn't complete and utter chaos, like in district eighty. Despite only living in the Rukongai for a week, she had heard numerous stories about the terrible things that went on in district eighty. It scared her so much that she wanted to go to the other end of the spectrum, in district one or two. In fact, anything below ten. It would be a stretch, but she knew with time that she would be able to get a house in one of those districts.

Today however, her eighth day in the Rukongai, she took notice of a couple of new faces. They looked like sisters, because they looked a lot alike. However the color of their hair and their personalities seemed to be the exact opposite of each other. One was blond, the other with black hair. One bubbly and emotional, the other cynical and uninterested. Both were headed in her direction. When they got to the booth, the black haired one began to speak,

"E-excuse me, we wanted to know where exactly it is we are in Soul Society?"

"Oh my, you must be brand new! Well—"

"We're not brand new, we've been here for like a week!"

"Oh… well, you're in district 42 of the Rukongai district."

"A district in a district?"

"Yeah… see, the Rukongai is divided into eighty sections, called districts, and are ranked based on the violence level, each proceeding district having a higher level of violence than the last."

"I…I see. Well, we were just wondering where we were, so thanks."

"Say, are you guys looking for a place to stay?"

She got a blank stare from the one with black hair,

"What?"

"I'm asking, do you need a place to stay?"

"Uh—"

"Oh yes, we definitely need a place to stay! C'mon Karin, let's do it!"

"B-but Yuzu—"

"C'mon-c'mon-c'mon!! I want to sleep in an actual bed tonight, not on the ground!"

"Fine, we'll take you up on your offer lady."

"The name is Kagome. Higurashi Kagome!"

"Kay Kagome, we'll see you at your place. Wait, where _is _your place?"

"Well you can't miss it. It's about five houses down on the right! You'll recognize it when you see it, because there will be three boys and a girl."

"_That's _descriptive…"

"Oh don't worry, you'll find it! If you don't just come back to me and you can help me till it's time to go home."

"Alright."

With a deal settled, Kagome continued working while Karin and Yuzu went to take up residence in her ever growing home. Ever growing because she continually tried to remodel and make some inventions that she had in the real world. She had made a makeshift shower, which actually worked for once. Then she and the kids made a stove heated bath tub, which worked really well. Then there were was the extended kitchen she and the boys made. They had built an entire section with a working stove, oven, sink, and even drawers and cupboards. While the countertop was still only made of wood, it worked well for what they had built. She had to get some neighbors to help her too, to the dismay of her three boys. Despite not wanting help from anyone but Kagome, their new 'Nee-chan', they did fine with the help of the others. With her new amenities, she was able to live a little more practical life.

A little after Karin and Yuzu left, the owner walked up to her and said,

"You know… there's more than eighty districts in the Rukongai."

"W-what—really?"

"Yup. We live in the Northern part of the Rukongai. There's an eastern, western, and southern section of the rukongai as well."

"Well that's obvious, but—"

"Well, each section has eighty districts. So, what do you think that adds up to when you put all of them together?"

"… three hundred and twenty districts?"

"Exactly!"

"Oh man… and I just told those two girls that there were eighty!"

"Bah, don't sweat it! You're a week old yet! Besides, there's always something new to learn in the Soul Society!"

"Well… thanks I guess—"

"Hahahaaa! No problem, just sell all them fruits, else your paycheck might be feelin' a little slim!"

"Y-y-yes sir!"

"I knew I could trust you!"

With an affirmative nod and a grin, Kagome continued her work day. By the time she was done, she had sold everything but one single fruit. An apple. She was about to just take it with her when another hand grabbed hers. The slender fingers and smooth, soft skin told Kagome that a young woman was after the last bit of fruit. Looking up, she saw it was a woman in her early thirties, with red orange hair and sapphire eyes. Seemingly surprised at Kagome's actions, and embarrassed at her own, she immediately retracted her hand and began to apologize,

"I-I'm sorry, were you going to buy that?"

"N-no, I work here, so taking the last fruit after hours is okay but… I don't need it. I'll give it to you for free, how's that?"

"R-really? Why, thank you very much! You're a kind young lady… Well, I'll pay for the fruit when I have the money for it, okay?"

"No, I insist that you take it for free! It's on the house, honest!"

"… well if you say so. I have to ask, do you need any help?"

"Uh—that came out of nowhere… uh, sure I guess… I just need to clean up the office a bit, but it's hard to do it alone…"

"Don't worry, with the two of us it should be done in just a little while!"

"Yeah, I think so—oh no, what about the kids?!"

"Kids? Oh my, do you have children in this world?"

"Well—they're not actually mine, they're orphans that I took in—er, rather they took _me _in and now I'm helping to take care of them and help to feed them."

"My, you really are a wonderful girl. Although I wonder… what do they do when you're gone?"

"W-well… I have a system with the neighbors to where they'll take turns each day to look after the kids, so that I can go work and not worry about leaving the kids alone."

"You know, as nice as that is, I get the feeling you hate leaving them with complete strangers all day."

"… yeah…"

"Listen; I'll stay with you and help out."

"R-r-really?!!"

"Of course! After all, I'm in one of the higher districts than this, so things are chaotic."

"Which district?"

"I do believe it was seventy two."

"Seventy two?!! How the hell did you live out there?!"

"Don't be fooled by my outward appearance. I could level a well toned martial artist if need be. I'm also rather proficient with a sword. Of course, I only gained these amazing powers when I came to this place."

"Really? Huh… I guess living in a place like that makes the perfect conditions for developing such a power."

"Indeed. Well, let's get to cleaning before its dark!"

"Oh-oh yeah! Okay, let's hurry then!"

"Right."

With that, the two of them began cleaning the office. As they cleaned, Kagome learned that the other woman's name was Masaki Kurosaki. She also learned that she had a son and two daughters. Her son by now was fifteen, while her girls were both eleven. Kagome never asked for their names, because she was too busy cleaning up the table in the middle of the room. When they were done, the two of them gave a high five and went to Kagome's. When they arrived, none of the children were in the house. When they looked in the back yard however, they found all of them playing together,

"Hey guys, we're home—"

"Ka…Karin… Yuzu?!!"

"You know them?"

Both Yuzu and Karin stopped immediately and looked at the woman,

"M—mom?!"

"Mommy!!"

Both girls rushed to Masaki, while Masaki met the two girls half way. They had a group hug, the two girls bawling while their mother shed silent tears of her own. Kagome, looking on at the spectacle, was almost brought to tears herself. Viveka walked up to Kagome and asked what was wrong. Kagome simply shushed her as they watched the family reunite. As for the boys, they looked at them as if they were un-interested, but respected the event unfolding before them. When the Kurosaki family was finally settled, Kagome called everyone into house to get ready for dinner,

"Okay everyone, I'm going to start making dinner, so boys, set the table!"

"Yes Kagome…" moaned the three in unison,

"Kagome dear, let me help you."

"I think you've done enough helping for today Masaki! _I'll _cook dinner tonight!"

"No, I insist! It's too much of a challenge for one person to cook enough for eight!"

"Well _I _insist that you—"

"Kagome… don't push it with our mom. If she wants to help, let her help."

"Kagome, it's the least I could do for letting us stay here."

"Fine, you can help out. After all, you _are _guests! Haha!"

"Alright then! Girls, you help the boys set up the table, and Kagome and I will fix dinner for all of you!"

"Yes mom!" said the two in unison. As they disappeared into the house, Masaki looked to Kagome with a look of happiness not unlike the one that Kagome always saw on Sango's face when she was reunited with her brother. After a period of silence, Masaki spoke,

"Kagome… I can't thank you enough for what you've done just today. Not only have you given me a place to stay, but you've also managed to reunite me with my two little girls. I couldn't be more greatful—"

"Masaki-san… I was glad to see you reunited with them. I think it was fate. After all, I had no idea that they were yours, although I saw the resemblance when I first met you. To tell the truth, I just met them today, just a little before you came along."

"Is that so? Well, if it really _is _fate, then I'm sure that same fate will bring upon us great responsibility to take in thanks for our good fortune."

"Responsibility? Just what are you getting at?"

"I myself am unsure of what kind of responsibility we may need to carry, but we'll certainly need to be ready to take it when we need to."

"Well… I agree with you. Now then, let's make a dinner that these kids will never forget!"

"Right!"

They both went into the kitchen after that, making a delicious meal that the kids would never forget.

* * *

The next morning, Kagome woke up early. The sun had barely broken the horizon, and the sky was still a deep orange color. Yawning, Kagome walked outside to smell the crisp morning air. The taste of the humid air on her palate sent waves of refreshment through her. Looking around, very few people from the village had risen, only the elderly and working villagers. The only thoughts on her mind this morning were her past. It had been like this for a while, but today was different; she couldn't get her mind off of her friends from the past and how they were doing. She couldn't imagine what Inuyasha was doing right now… she thought he probably went back to Kikyo after her death. However if she saw Kikyo wandering around the Rukongai, Kagome wouldn't be too surprised. She wouldn't be surprised if she saw Inuyasha walking down the street either. As she slowly pondered these things while looking upon the morning dew glittering in the sunlight, she heard the sound of cloth flapping in the air; almost like a flag flapping in the wind. Then she heard something land on the ground to her left. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a black figure. Looking over in that direction, she saw something familiar; a shinigami.

This shinigami was a girl about her height, with fangs and… dog ears. She had long silver hair with honey yellow eyes. If Kagome wasn't mistaken, this girl was a female version of Inuyasha. Kagome noticed that she began walking in her direction. This confused Kagome; what was she here for? Why had she just randomly shown up in front of her this early in the morning? The woman stopped just short of being in Kagome's face before saying,

"Yo, you Kikyo?"

Kagome looked at the woman dumbfounded; just what was it with people and mistaking her as Kikyo?! Wasn't there _any _difference between the two of them?!

"No, I'm Kagome. Ka-go-me!"

"Kagome? Oh… you must be the reincarnate of Kikyo… that just makes things that much better!"

"And just that the hell do you mean by _that?"_

"Never mind, you're coming with me!"

"Like hell I am!"

"… Listen, I'll have you back here before anyone even knows you're gone, capuche?"

"A-alright… just what do you want me for anyway?"

"I just… want to have a chat with you."

"… alright."

With that, the two went to a small meadow just a little ways behind Kagome's house. Finding a log, the two of them sat on it. There was a long silence before the woman spoke,

"So… how did you get here?"

"I wished to bring a friend back with the Shikon Jewel."

"… Who was that someone?"

"A half demon named Inuyasha."

There was another long silence before the woman spoke again,

"My name is Inuhime. I'm… Inuyasha's sister."

Kagome's head snapped over to stare at the girl in shock; Inuyasha's _sister?! _

"Inuyasha's sister?! If you're his sister, then what the fuck are you doing here, and why the fuck are you a shinigami?!"

"Wow, strong fucking words for a fucking young lady, fucking. Anyway, the reason I'm up here is because… well… let's just say that when me and Inuyasha were playing as kids the villagers… didn't take a liking to my brother. Of course they didn't like me either, but they saw Inuyasha as more of a threat than me. Guess it's cause' I'm a girl… anyway, so one day we were playing in the middle of the village, with the other kids, when Inuyasha accidentally cut one of the village kids with his new claws, to which the villagers had had enough of fearing Inuyasha. So, they decided to kill him one night as well as our mother and myself. That night, they went after us and we barely escaped by the skin of our teeth. Since we had to find another village to live in, it was hard. We went everywhere hoping someone would take us in. However a human woman with two half demon children is definitely walking death to every village. So, we ended up living most of our time together in the woods camping. Finally, after some time, we were taken into another village. By that time Inuyasha and I were in our early teens. For a while, it seemed like things were going to get better…"

Inuhime shifted uncomfortably and her face seemed to droop,

"However a few years after moving into the village, mom got sick. Inuyasha and I were really worried about her, and of course we did everything we could to help her, but nothing seemed to help. Finally she began to deteriorate, and she kept on deteriorating until finally she died. That is a day that is burned into both our minds. She was the only one we knew who actually loved us. No one else thought we were worth anything, nobody was going to take us in. Everyone thought we were evil. We weren't evil… we just wanted someone to take care of us and love us, but… that's not what happened. After she died, the villagers kicked us out and we ended up fending for ourselves. That, let me tell you, was probably the worst time for either of us. Inuyasha was just getting used to his powers, and I wasn't even _aware _of mine. It wasn't until a year after Inuyasha mastered his did I get my powers to come out. Talk about annoying, I nearly died so many times I didn't know what to do with myself. Of course, then we came across Kikyo, and just as we came across her, Inuyasha's face went blank and he continued to stare at her. It took me slapping him upside the face to get his lecherous eyes off of her."

"Wow… that sounds reminiscent of a friend of mine."

"Really? Nice! Anyway, so he started to yell at me and Kikyo took notice. She aimed an arrow on us both and told us to stand down if we wished to live… but after we looked at her with fearful eyes, she put her arrow down and she let us come with her to her village. She was a really nice person. It's no wonder Inu-baka fell in love with her."

"Don't remind me…"

"What, bad memories?"

"Yeah… Kikyo was kinda… well… revived."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah…"

"Let me guess, you had a crush on my dear brother but you were jealous about his love for her because it hurt to watch him go after her instead of yourself."

"Y-yeah, how did you know?"

"That's easy! It's written all over your face. Listen, my brother is like that, so don't worry about it. Just because he likes someone else doesn't mean he doesn't care for you. Of course, I'm sure he'd like you more than Kikyo. Wanna know why?"

"Yes, I would love to know."

"Well, it's mostly because you're so full of surprises and you're a much fiery person than Kikyo. He liked Kikyo mostly for her body anyway."

"… How could he tell what her body even _looked _like under that thick layer of clothing she was wearing?"

"Let's just say that his testosterone was much more powerful than his rational mind. He's a half demon after all, and a half demon must have his desired fulfilled…"

"Ew! Okay, too much info… although, I do have to know…"

"Yes Kagome?"

Kagome's cheeks began to glow a bright red,

"U-um… did he and… Kikyo ever… you know…?"

"No, they never did. Although I _did _walk in on the two of them when they were halfway there."

"Oh my god, that had to suck."

"Well they were only making out. Although I _do _have to say that Kikyo had a pair of twins that many a woman would be envious of."

"Yeah too much info."

"Oh and as for Inuyasha—"

"Shut up! Shut the fuck up right now!! Ugh… I don't want to know that!"

"I thought you might say that. Anyway, if you're wondering, yes he's got the extended deluxe package."

"I don't' even want to know what you were talking about right there, even though I probably have a good idea of what you were trying to say there. Say, how do you even _know _that?"

"Hey, we're twins. What do you expect?"

"Oh, well… I suppose that makes some sense… but still, that's kinda gross, you have to admit!"

"Well if you've got the idea that I think you've got in your head, then you can forget it. Just because we were curious doesn't mean we did experiments with each other. Now _that _is sick and disgusting."

"Yeah… well, let's go back to what you were talking about before we got off on this… topic…"

"Right, right. Anyway, so the two of them began to grow closer and closer. Yes, he still talked to me and all, but he was with Kikyo more than anything. Eventually it got to the point where he was with her all the time and I was left in the dust. Finally I got fed up with it and I told him I was leaving. He gave me a look of 'What the fuck do you think you're doing', but I knew full well what I was doing. I'm sure I'd later regret my words, because not two weeks after I left I encountered a man named Naraku."

Kagome visibly winced,

"What's wrong?"

"That name…"

"What, Naraku?

"Y…yeah…"

"Wait don't tell me… you faced him?!"

"Yeah... Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango and I, all of us. That's the reason why I'm here."

"I… I see. Did he kill you?"

"No…"

"Then what the hell happened?"

"I… I kinda' wished for Inuyasha to come back from the dead."

"… you've got to be fucking kiddin'… so you basically wished for him to come back, resulting in you dying?"

"Yeah, because in order to revive someone you have to give your life in exchange for the wish to work."

"I… I'm sorry… although I _do _have to say, that was a stupid move."

"Hey back off, you probably would have done the same thing in the spur of the moment!"

"Maybe. Anyway, so now you're here… well, that sucks. Although now you know me, so that's going to be fun! Anyway, so getting back to the story of why I'm even _here…. _So basically I met up with that asshole we both know as Naraku, and we had a little bit of a battle, though I do have to say it was one sided in his favor. Keep in mind that I was still developing my powers. So, he basically gave me a fatal wound and he threw me into the bone eater's well. Just before I was sent away, he told me the cryptic plan that he had in mind for Inuyash and Kikyo—"

"The betrayal."

"Exactly. Then, I came over to what I would assume was your time, and I ended up in some bushes next to a shrine. My body actually disintegrated right in front of my eyes, effectively killing my bond with my body. That's when the encroachment set in. I was lucky as fuck to be saved at the last minute by a shinigami. That's how I came here. I'm sure that my brother always regretted letting me leave like that. Especially because he loved me dearly. I love him dearly as well. So I'm sure he held that grudge against Naraku as well."

"Wow… so you mean to tell me Inuyasha's been harboring all that guilt for not being able to save you on top of everything else? Jeez… that guy had a seriously fucked hand dealt to him…"

"No shit Kagome, no shit… heh heh… I miss the guy… I really do… It wasn't long after I came here either that I found Kikyo. Since she died back in the time of the Feudal Era, she had already been here for a hell of a long time, about two hundred and ninety years. I asked her how she died, and she said that she died at the hands of Inuyasha. Of course I knew for a fact that wasn't true. As for Inuyasha… well… he was still down there. When I asked why he wasn't up here, she said that she had to kill him because of his betrayal. Of course I was so jelous of her that I didn't want to tell her it was actually Naraku that killed her and Inuyasha in order to get the Shikon no Tama. However a short few years after I saw her and we became somewhat friends, she disappeared. I would assume it was so that you could be born. After that I became a shingami in hopes that I would one day find my bro and bring him up here by my own hands. That wasn't going to happen though. He's probably still alive as we speak! That ass… Anyway, let's not talk about me anymore. I'll let you talk."

"About what?"

"Whatever… how about this. Wanna become a shinigami?"

"W-w-what?! Become a shinigami? What would happen to the kids then?"

"They'd be fine; In fact I bet you could bring one of them to the Seireitei if you really wanted to after becoming a soul reaper…"

"… I'll think about it…"

"All right… I hope you say yes."

"I know for a fact that you came out here just to recruit me."

"Well, they say there's three kinds of lies; lies, damn lies, and statistics. Therefore, your fact is a lie."

"Well then, you came here to introduce yourself to me and go on about how you miss your bro?"

"Put those two together and you've got my motive. Well, I'd better get going. I've got myself a mission coming up in about an hour, so I've got to get ready. Ja ne!"

With that Inuhime disappeared from Kagome's sight in an instant. With the idea of becoming a shinigami now floating in her mind, she walked home. The whole way the questions should of could of would of made laps around one central idea, becoming a shinigami. She was going to have to have a conference with the others… after all, if she left, she would be leaving them behind. No, she wouldn't leave them behind; she would figure out a way for them to come with her! Every single one of them! That was another question though… how would she do that? Then if she could, would they want to go? She bounced every one of these questions in her head until she reached the house to find an interesting scene…

* * *

Hello sports fans, here's another chapter come and gone! Well, I hope you liked this one… and I hope you enjoy my little surprise OC! Anyway, please leave a kind review and have a wonderful day!

-JT Jewels


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Bleach to lawyers can go break their necks in a mosh pit.

Hello sports fans and welcome to another chapter of _A Life After Death Situation! _I thank everyone who's read this so far, and I'd like to say that even though there's a pattern of shortening chapters, that won't last. In fact, it ends here. Anyway, I hope you guys like this next chapter! Please R&R!

* * *

Upon arriving in her house, Kagome was presented with an almost tragic scene; there was a shingami on the floor, apparently crying his eyes out while crying out 'Masaki'. Karin had a look of complete embarrassment on her face and Yuzu had tears in her eyes. As for Masaki, Kagome hadn't seen her yet. That must have meant something bad, or so she thought,

"What the hell happened here?!"

"Well… our dad came back from Karakura. As you can see, he saw mom and she left immediately after he arrived, so—DAD, QUIT YOUR BLUBBERING!!"

Karin kicked the man in the face,

"Exactly. Okay, so yeah that's basically what it boils down to."

"Wait… so that's your dad?"

"Yup."

"Why is he a shinigami and you two _aren't_?"

"Well, I guess that's just how it is. Although before dad performed the konso he mentioned something about attempting to enroll in the 'Soul Reaper Academe'."

"Oh, he wanted you guys to?"

"Yeah, Karin wants to go, but I don't think I would be very good at it…"

"Yuzu what are you saying?! Haven't I, your father, told you numerous times that you don't have to be a fighter? You could be a healer!! Squad four for Yuzu!!"

"… do you think I would be good at it dad?"

"Of _course _you would! I'm sure that captain Unohana or Isane would _love _to take you under their wing!"

"That's great and all dad, but what about me?"

"And for_ you _Karin, I think you would be suited for squad… well, what's your favorite number?"

"2."

"Really? That's the Onmitsukido!!"

"Wait what?"

"The covert ops.!"

"… Wait, so you're basing my placement off of my favorite number?"

"Well—sort of… heh heh—oof!"

He was kicked once again,

"Well whatever! C'mon Yuzu, let's go find mom."

"But wait! You guys haven't even had breakfast yet! Besides, I'm sure your mother will come back soon."

"If you say so Kagome…"

"Huh? Oh my, I don't believe we've met. My name is Kurosaki Isshin!!"

"Nice to meet'cha! I'm Higurashi Kagome!"

"Oh wait you're the one who put up my family! Well, thank you very much."

"Oh it's no problem! You know, I have a question."

"Uh, okay shoot, what'cha need?"

"Well… let's say hypothetically I were to encounter a situation that would force me to become a shinigami, or at least do so by my own will; to what part of the Gotei 13 would you recommend?"

"For you? Uh… well, I'm not quite sure… what is your favorite type of combat?"

"Uh… I don't really care."

"Okay… would you prefer to use spells above swordsmanship?"

"Not really—"

"Okay! Do you enjoy hand to hand combat?"

"I've never done it before, not really."

"Do you like to heal the wounded?"

"Of course! The wounded always need a hand—"

"Wonderful. Do you excel in any sort of scientific field?"

"N-no, why—"

"I see. Okay, that about sums it up—oh wait. One more question."

"Yes?"

"Okay… what is your favorite number?"

"My favorite number? Uh… four I guess?"

"Four ay? That would mean you'd be under Unohana Taicho! You would be a healer!"

"Would I really?"

"Yes. In fact, you would be with my little girl Yuzu!!"

The man proceeded to place his sweetest daughter in a sweet yet deadly embrace,

"D-d-daddy… I… can't breathe!"

"Oh no my sweet little Yuzu, what have I done?!!"

The man received a well placed kick right in the nose,

"Just back off of Yuzu for a second, will ya?!"

"Karin… is it _really _such a good idea to kick your father around like that?"

"It doesn't bother him. All it does is make him cry and whine about my rebellious nature."

"Well that seems about right… anyway, I think it would be a good idea to go to the Gotei 13."

"Really? I would have never guessed you to be the type to go after such a thing."

"Well, you wouldn't find me to be the type that hunts demons, now would you?"

"What, you're saying you're a demon hunter?"

"Kinda'. Anyway, when do you think we should join Isshin?"

"Well… I would give it a little while. After all, the way you guys are you'll never be able to pass the entrance exam."

"Wait, an entrance exam? What the heck do we need to do an entrance exam for dad?"

"Well Karin, they don't want any incompetent fools entering the school!"

"I… see. Well, we'll just have to study up I guess…"

"Indeed! I'm going to help you as well!!"

"Oh boy here we go… this is just perfect, leave the worst person in the world to teach me the basics of being a soul reaper, oh wonderful…."

"Karin, I'm sure he knows what he's talking about! Right dad?"

"Indeed Yuzu, I know _exactly _what I'm talking about!!"

"That's my daddy!"

"Okay, first off, let's start with Zanjutsu!"

"Zan what?"

"Zanjutsu. In other words, swordsmanship with your Zanpakuto."

"And just where the hell do I get one of those?"

"From inside your soul!"

"… Yuzu, let's go before dad goes completely nuts."

"Wait Karin—"

"No Yuzu, let's just go!"

"But—"

"Hey girls… I'm being serious. After all, I used to be a captain."

"I don't care if you were the king, that still—wait, a captain? Captain of what?"

"A squad from the Gotei 13."

"And just what is the Gotei 13?"

"You'll learn while I teach you the basics. Now, I'm sure you have the ability to obtain your Zanpakuto, so let's begin with some deep meditation, shall we?"

"Hey Kurosaki Taicho?"

"No need to call me captain Kagome, just call me Isshin."

"Okay, well… I was wondering if maybe I could do some of these things alone."

"Why? Don't you want to learn the basics so you can pass the entrance exam?"

"Well… I think it's better you teach these two before you teach me. Besides, I can probably get it down fat if I work at it."

"Actually, it's harder than you think."

"I'm sure it's difficult—anyway, I think I'll be satisfied with Zanjutsu for the moment."

"… if you insist. Just remember, your Zanpakuto can be obtained through deep meditation, so wherever you intend to go for your training, find a secluded location where you won't be bothered by anyone else, kay?"

"Got it Isshin! Thanks, see ya in a bit!"

"Bye Kagome-chan, hope to see you soon!"

Isshin watched as the excited teen rushed off behind the house and into the brush where she disappeared from sight. When she was gone, he silently said to himself,

"You'll be lucky to get your Zanpakuto in one day. After all, it usually takes a shingami close to three days to even months before they can tap the soul of their Zanpakuto…"

With that said, Isshin began to help his two little girls obtain a Zanpakuto.

* * *

Kagome was headed in the direction of the meadow that she and Inuhime had gone to. If she was right, then only she and Inuhime knew about the spot. Sitting along the edge of the meadow, she sat down, and began to meditate; she relaxed, and cleared her mind slowly. As time passed, the breezes that would pass through no longer effected her, and the sounds of the woodland creatures did nothing to phase her concentration. In her mind, there was nothing; it was completely empty. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she seemed to wake up on a trail, which was surrounded by slowly thickening forest. The path seemed to go on forever without stopping. Kagome also noticed that everything was either black or white. The ground, the trees, rocks, the mountains that dominated the horizon, and even the cotton like clouds in the sky were completely black, with only a faint outline of white. The sky was white, and so was the water in a nearby pond Kagome spotted. Next to the pond, she saw a person in a lime green t-shirt and denim short shorts. This perplexed her; who the _hell _could that be? The person had long, fire red hair that seemed to flair out to the sides the longer it got. Her hair stopped at about knee level.

Out of curiosity and frustration, Kagome had to know what this person was doing in her inner sanctuary. As she walked over, the person leaning over the pond noticed her right away. Now that the person was turned to Kagome, she could confirm the person was a girl. She was a busty girl, around Kagome's age, with deep emerald eyes that seemed to calm Kagome. The girl had pink, pouty lips, a prim nose and freckles. After a few moments of silence, the girl spoke in a nasally soprano voice,

"Ah, so I see you decided to show yourself around here! Well, welcome to your inner world!"

"W-why is it so… well… black and white?"

"Well, everyone's inner world is different. Yours is different in a way that is extremely unique. One's inner world is a reflection of their personality as it stands currently in the real world. Here, time never flows, and everything is frozen. Even this pond is frozen by the effects."

The girl splashes some water, only for her hands to seemingly go right through the water without disturbing it,

"See? Well, the only reason you would be here is to learn my name."

"Learn… your name?"

"What are you, stupid? Listen… I am the embodiment of your Zanpakuto's soul. The only way for you to wield me properly is if you know my name. If you think I'm going to give it to you right now, you're sadly mistaken. After all, I've been saying it this whole time. You never heard me though… did you?"

"I… never heard anything you said until you noticed me."

"Well, good luck getting my name."

"Well, thanks I guess…"

Kagome, feeling defeated, walked over to a tree by the pond. Taking a seat, she began to concentrate and listen for her Zanpakuto's name to be spoken. For hours it seemed like the name would never come to her. Several times she would see her Zanpakuto's soul saying something, but not being able to read her lips. Finally, after such a long time of concentration and silence, Kagome heard something,

"Hi……… en"

"I—I heard part of your name!!" Screamed Kagome. The soul never looked up however. Kagome could still hear those little bits, and slowly she was able to hear more of it,

"His… i…… en"

Finally, after spending so long in this world, she was able to make out most of her Zanpakuto's name. It was when she was able to understand most of it that the soul of her Zanpakuto spoke to her,

"Well, I suppose you're ready to learn my name if you were able to pick out the little bits I was muttering."

"Please, tell me your name!"

"Alright… my name is Hisui En!"

Kagome was surprised when the girl in front of her was enveloped in bright, lime green flames. As the flames seemed to swallow her up, she spoke one more time before disappearing,

"Now that you know my name, you may wield my power; the power of the Jade Flame!"

With that, Hisui en vanished, and Kagome closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she was in the real world. It was still morning, although it had gotten substantially colder since she had gotten here. All of a sudden a rustling in the bushes alerted Kagome. Looking behind her, she could see some bushes rustling,

"Hey, whoever you are, come out. I've got you spotted, there's nowhere to run!"

"Okay, you found me."

To Kagome's surprise, Inuhime came waltzing out from behind the bushes,

"So, just what were you doing out here all by yourself for two days other than meditating?"

"T-t-two days?!! Oh _no!! _I've missed two days of work now! Oh, the boss is going to kill me! Not to mention Vivi-chan and the boys are probably missing me right now. Well, maybe not the boys, but definitely Viveka-chan!"

"So tell me, why were you out here meditating for so long?"

"Uh—this!"

Kagome spotted a katana on the ground next to her, with a lime green hilt, and the guard was in the shape of a flame,

"… is that a Zanpakuto?"

"What else would it be?"

"I see… that would explain the meditation. Especially that intense of meditation"

"Yeah… well, I've got to go, so see ya!!"

"Uh… yeah, sure, whatever you say. See ya."

With that, Kagome rushed off to her homestead, leaving a slightly perplexed Inuhime to think about her friend's achievement.

* * *

Just before Kagome got to her house, she pulled her Zanpakto out of its sheath and a phrase popped into her head,

"Burn brightly with a emerald glow, Hisui en!"

This phrase caused the sword to dawn green flames along the blade, and the blade itself turned an opaque green color. With a couple of swings, Kagome was confident that she had an awesome sword to show off. She ran the rest of the way to her house, only to find that Karin and Yuzu were still meditating while their father and mother watched them. Alerted of her arrival, the couple turned to her to find that she had a Zanpakuto by her side. With a look of surprise, Isshin congratulated her success,

"Wow, you got your Zanpakuto already? I see you managed to do it faster than I thought you would. In fact, you're the only person who's ever gotten their Zanpakuto in less than three days."

"Hey, wanna know it's name?"

"You even know it's name?! My my, you're quite the over achiever. You're the first shinigami to possibly learn their Zanpakuto's name within two days. In fact, it's nearly impossible, unless you are completely in tune with your inner being. Such a thing would usually require years of dedication in the living world, and here it would usually take a couple of years for a shinigami in the Gotei 13 who isn't a seated officer to gain shikai! You my lady are a prodigy!"

"I-if you think so!"

"Of course I do! You just proved it with your Zanpakuto, which by the way you were going to tell us its name."

"Oh right! Her name is Hisui en!"

"Jade Flame ay? It sounds like a wonderful sword indeed. It must wield green colored fire, correct?"

"Uh, yeah. See, watch! Burn brightly with an emerald glow, Hisui en!"

The sword completed its transformation into shikai, and surprised Isshin,

"What in the world? The blade just turned green and was enveloped with flames! That looks like Yamamoto's shikai only much more controlled and it's green… huh…"

"Who's that?"

"He's the head captain of the Gotei 13 and captain of the first division. He is one of the most powerful shinigami, as well as the oldest, alive here in the soul society."

"Oh I see. So you're saying my power is almost identical to his, minus the size and color?! That's so _cool!!"_

"Well, you'd better go train with it later today. First though, I'm willing to bet you're a hungry girl—" he was interrupted by Kagome's stomach growling violently,

"Whoops… oh man this is embarrassing!"

"Nothing to worry about Kagome dear, I'll whip something up for the three of us."

"Oh, well, thank you Masaki-san."

Masaki got up after that and went into the kitchen. When she disappeared behind the doorframe, Isshin turned to Kagome and gave her a serious look,

"Kagome-chan… how is it you were able to obtain your sword in two days anyway?"

"Well, I meditated for two days straight."

"Straight? How in the world were you able to meditate that long?"

"Well, apparently in my inner world time does not pass, nor does space, but I guess outside time still passed… heh heh… so I woke up to find Inuhime was watching me the whole time, and then I came back."

"Inuhime? A friend I would assume?"

"Yes, a shinigami friend, whom I just met!"

"Really? I didn't think that Shinigami were allowed in Rukongai unless it was on a mission… but I suppose that's different than I thought. Anyway, so you say she was spying on you?"

"Sort of… I think she came to the meadow to think and she just happened to find me meditating. So she probably stayed to keep watch on me while I was meditating."

"What a wonderful friend! Anyway, have you learned any techniques?"

"Uh, I don't think so… but what do you mean by techniques?"

"You know, moves that you can use with your Zanpakuto."

"Oh—no."

"That's okay! All you need to do in order to learn your sword's moves is to go out and train with it. When I say train, I mean go practice swinging it and wait for it to tell you one of its attacks."

"Oh I got it! Kay. I'll go do it right no—" Kagome was interrupted by her stomachs howling. This was shortly followed by Isshin's stomach,

"… well, it looks like you're waiting for breakfast before you go off to train!"

"You got that right! I'm starving. I wonder what Masaki-san is cooking?"

"Well, she's probably cooking up the usual."

"What's the usual?"

"You'll see when the time comes."

With that, the two waited patiently for their food to arrive.

* * *

Ichigo and Rukia had just consulted Mayuri about the hollow residue. From what they learned, these hollows were nothing to fear. However if anything new came up, they were to report their findings to the Research and Development Bureau immediately. Ichigo and Rukia were now on their way to the squad 13 barracks, where Rukia was going to check in on her Captain. Upon their arrival, they were greeted by Sentaro and Kiyone,

"Oh my, welcome back Rukia!"

"Hello, I'm here to see Ukitake taicho."

"Alright, this way."

"Thank you."

The two acting lieutenants led Rukia and Ichigo to Ukitake, who was looking out into the distance deep in thought. Taking notice of his new visitors, he greeted them,

"Oh my, welcome back Rukia, Ichigo!"

"Hello Ukitake taicho! I've come to check up on you."

"Well how kind of you. I'm faring well, and I've had a good luck streak as of late!"

"Is that so?"

"Yes! For the last few times Shunsui and I have gone gambling, I've one big!"

"I—I see! That's wonderful!"

"Indeed. Now then, Ichigo's expression tells me that something is going on. What has happened while you were gone?"

"Well… we ran into a situation where Ichigo's family was killed—his sisters anyway."

"Oh my, I'm very sorry to hear that Ichigo. Although I'm sure they're in the Rukongai right now."

"Thanks."

"Uh—right, anyway, we also found out that Ichigo's dad is a former soul reaper."

"Oh my, is that so? What was his name?"

"Isshin Kurosaki. That's my dad."

"I-Issin?! You say your father is Isshin?!"

"Uh yeah, why?"

"That means… that… means…"

"Yeah, what does it mean?"

"It means you're the son of the legendary Isshin Kurosaki. He was the only one between himself, Shunsui and I to achieve the position of captain first."

"Wait, how does that work? He's been residing in the human world ever since he left the soul society twenty years ago. That makes no sense."

"Well… see, he was a captain for a while, but about one hundred and twenty years ago, he was exiled to a small part of the forest in the deepest regions of the Rukongai. I believe he resided there for the entire time up until he escaped into the living world. There, he must have found a way to become human."

"Then he had me and my sisters… huh, I never knew that he was a former captain. Hell, I never knew he was a shinigami."

"You should be proud that he's your father. After all, he was one of the most powerful shinigami next to Yamamoto-sama. He's amazingly powerful. It's no wonder you're such an amazing shinigami."

"Well Ukitake taicho, we actually have to get going; we're going to go to the Rukongai to look for Ichigo's sisters!"

"Hey wait, I never said I wanted to do that—"

"Don't mind him, we'll be going now. Please take care!"

"Uh—yes, you as well."

The two of them flew out of the squad 13 barracks and towards the Rukongai. Along the way, Ichigo couldn't help but ask Rukia the question,

"Hey Rukia… what the hell are we doing?"

"Going to find your sisters!"

"They probably won't recognize me. Remember? All souls that ever come to the soul society lose their memories of their life in the living world."

"Well… you see Ichigo… those who are spiritually aware are usually able to remember their past. Though few people do, there are those who have a strong enough spiritual awareness that the can remember their past life. I'm hoping your sisters are the same… I don't want them to think they're never going to see their brother again either."

"Well, whatever. I'll be happy to see them though."

"That's the spirit! Now let's _go!"_

With that, the two of them entered the western section of the Rukongai and began their search.

* * *

Inuhime was on her way to the squad 13 barracks to hopefully get her next assignment. After all, she was always eager to complete her tasks. Hopefully one day she could become the lieutenant for her squad as well. As she entered the barracks, she noticed two people coming towards her. The girl was Rukia, she knew that, but she didn't know what the girl was up to. Rukia never seemed to notice her though, so she had to nearly jump out of the way. Dodging the two car freight train, she went in the direction of the captain's quarters. After requesting to see Ukitake, she met with him,

"Hello Ukitaki taicho. How are you feeling today?"

"Well, as I told Rukia, I'm faring well."

"That's good to hear. Well, I've got a request. See, I met a girl in the Rukongai named Kagome Higurashi, and she just happens to be my brother's companion. About two days after I met her, she had a Zanpakuto and she had even learned its name!"

"Oh my, in two days time you say? That's quite an achievement! In fact, that's the fastest that any shinigami alive has ever obtained their Zanpakuto and learned its name. I do believe that is a speed record. Anyway, so what was it you wished to request?"

"Uh—yes, it's related to Kagome. See, I want her to be inducted into our squad as soon as she graduates from the Soul Academe."

"Well, it all depends on what Yamamoto-sama says. She has a one in thirteen chance of coming to this squad."

"Well I just hope she does…"

"You mentioned that she was a companion of your brother. Is your brother still alive do you know?"

"I know he is. I mean, he's half demon—oops!"

"Half demon? Like a demon human hybrid?"

"Y-yeah… the thing is, we're twins…"

"I… see… so that would make you a half demon as well…"

"… yeah…"

"Well, there's nothing to be ashamed of. After all, it explains a lot about you."

"Like what?"

"I think you know what about."

"Okay if you say so. A-anyway, I just hope Kagome-chan can get in."

"I'm sure she will. If you wish it, it may come true."

"Okay, I will! Well, now that that's out of the way, I also wanted to know if you had any assignments for me."

"Well, I don't right now, but I think maybe you should go find Rukia and give this to her."

Ukitake handed her a manila folder,

"I forgot to give her this. It has some information that she requested I look up for her. Please hurry though, because I'm not sure where they've run off to. All I know is that they've gone to the Rukongai."

"Okay, got it! I'll go look for those two and I'll come by later. Okay, see ya!"

With that, Inuhime ran out of the squad 13 barracks leaving sparks in her wake. After Inuhime left, Ukitake looked up to the skies once more to think about his companion and fellow captain, Isshin Kurosaki.

* * *

Hello peoples! That's another chapter of _A Life After Death Situation! _Hope you guys liked it. As you can obviously see, my favorite color is green, hence why I chose Kagome's Zanpakuto to have a green theme. I chose flames as well because water wouldn't work, and fire is the next best thing in this case. Anyway, once again I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please don't forget to leave me a kind review! Anyway, please have a wonderful day!

-JT Jewels


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha nor do I own Bleach, so lawyers can go fuck themselves with a rusty sandpaper dildo.

Hello peoples! It's been a while! Well, I'm back and I'm ready to write a little bit more! See, school just started today (September 2nd), and I've been focusing on getting my requirements. Part of that just happens to be making up a couple of class's with a bunch of sophomores… that's just embarrassing… the only senior in the class. Oh well, so be it. Gotta make it up sometime before I graduate, no? Anyways, enough of me, let's get to the fic!

Kagome happily tore into her morning banquet. Masaki had prepared a meal fit for a king, and both Kagome and Isshin were loving every bit of it. While they sat at the table and munched down on their meal, Isshin began to say something just as he took in a mouth full of fish,

"So, Kagome, what do you think of your new Zanpakuto?"

"I love it! It's amazing. Especially because I love green and fire is so… pretty in a way."

"Yes I agree, the way that flames dance, it's almost like watching interpretive dance."

"… I just thought the glowing part was cool, but I see what you mean."

Isshin gave a slight blush in response,

"So, do you plan on learning any new attacks?"

"Wait, don't I just, well, make them up?"

"… Kagome, I think it's time I told you what a Zanpakuto really is."

Kagome looked at him with a questioning face, to which he lightly chuckled,

"I'm sure you're wondering what I mean, and you'd be right to wonder. See, not even shinigami themselves know _exactly _what a Zanpakuto is—"

"How can they not? It's a katana for cryin' in the night!"

"It isn't that easy Kagome. See, they simply take the _form _of a katana. See, Zanpakuto are really a part of the shinigami themselves; A part of their soul if you will. While the Zanpakuto happens to be an independent soul, it is still connected to its shinigami, and always stays with the shinigami for however long they live. Both live and die together. You have opened up your shikai, which means you've began a relationship with your Zanpakuto. By learning a Zanpakuto's name, you've automatically started the bond. With time, and much training, your bond will grow. Eventually, your bond will lead you to a level to which your Zanpakuto's soul is ready to test your skills. They will require you to fulfill a certain goal of their choosing, and will execute the procedure as they see fit. Should you overcome their challenge, they will teach you what is known as Bankai. When one has attained Bankai, it shows that your bond with your Zanpakuto is complete. Until that time, you must train with your Zanpakuto, and you must learn from your Zanpakuto how to use its unique abilities."

"I… see. So then what you're saying is that in order to learn how to use my Zanpakuto, I need to build a relationship with it?"

"In short, yes. It'll take you some time, but you'll be able to attain certain techniques as you continue to bond with your Zanpakuto. It's wonderful that you've gotten shikai this early, but because you've gotten this level so early, does not mean you will be able to attain Bankai any faster. It'll take you a minimum of a decade before you'll even come _close _to attaining Bankai. If you want to get to that level, I suggest starting training as soon as possible."

"Okay I see! Well, I suppose I should probably go do that right now!"

"Not before you finish your breakfast thought Kagome-chan!"

"Oh… yeah… heh heh, you're right Masaki-san! Okay then, first breakfast, _then _training!"

"That's the ticket! Now eat up and get goin'!"

"Right!"

With that Kagome resumed her morning meal with gusto and enjoyed every bit of it.

Ichigo and Rukia were in the west Rukon district, in the 42 section. They asked around frequently, asking if they'd seen or heard of 'Masaki Kurosaki' in any of the local residences. The only luck they'd had was someone that said something along the lines of 'Masaki? Not a damn clue, but I _do _remember a friend o' mine who saw a woman named Masaki shoppin' 'round district 42 of the northern Rukon district!' They were uneasy about the man's response, but after finding nothing in the district they were in, they went off to the northern Rukon district. After all, if they didn't try it out, they would never know. They traveled to the northern district, while asking people if they'd heard anything about Ichigo's sisters and his mother, but there was still nothing. However as they continued to get closer to the Northern district, they began to hear about them. People that happened to come from the northern district told them about 'A bunch of Kurosaki's' and 'A host family'. When they asked the woman who told them, she simply said that the host family had taken them all in and the hostess' name was Higurashi Kagome. Rukia discounted that information, but Ichigo kept the name in his mind for later.

Finally, after two or so hours of running, they got to district 42 of the northern Rukon district. They were told by locals that they lived in a fixed up house with extensions on it and a little sign on the front that said 'Higurashi Residence'. Rukia skipped ahead of Ichigo, while Ichigo continued to ponder about this 'Kagome' person. Slowly he made his way through the village, not realizing that Rukia had gone far ahead of him. When he looked up to ask Rukia her opinion of this 'Kagome' person, he finally realized that she'd left him in the dust. Now a little peeved, he sped up his pace only to find Rukia around the next street corner pointing to a house that indeed had a sign on the front with 'Higurashi Residence' on it, and the house definitely had a few extensions. Now that they'd found the place, Ichigo could finally go see if his sisters remembered him even the slightest bit. However before they could even get into the house, the door opened up and standing there in the doorway was none other than Ichigo's father, Isshin,

"Well well, if it isn't my sweet Rukia!! Oh how I missed you—oof!"

She kicked him square in the nose, just like Karin liked to do when her father acted like so. Ichigo watched the scene with minor interest, as he always found it funny that everyone chose to kick him in the face instead of—never mind… anyway, Ichigo watched as Rukia walked into the house, and his father on his knees rubbing his face. Taking that as his cue, Ichigo waltzed over and greeted his father,

"Hey dad."

"Oh, hey Ichigo, good to see ya'! So, how's the soul reaping business today?"

"Well, there's not much soul reaping going on, especially when Rukia insists we come by to check up on Karin and Yuzu. Although I don't mind, after all, they _are _dead now…"

"Yeah, well… since everyone of us in this family is dead… well, we may have to kill you."

"W-w-what?!!"

"I'm just kiddin' ya' Ichigo! Listen, so long as you're still alive, and a depute soul reapor, we'll keep it that way just to simplify things. After all, if everyone saw you alive a couple days after the accident and then dead about a week later, that's just be terrible, don't you think?"

"Well yeah, but all that happens when you die is people grieve for a while over you, then they forget about you completely and everything is all hunky dory."

"Son… you have many things to learn about human compassion."

"Say _what?"_

"Listen, let's not talk out here too much longer. We don't need any of the villagers seeing my captain's haori and recognizing me. That would be bad news."

"I gotcha. We'll finish this inside."

"Alright good. Follow me."

Isshin lead the way into the house, where Ichigo came across a person he had not seen for a decade; his mother,

"M-mom?!"

"I-Ichigo… is that you?! Can it _really _be my sweet Ichigo?!!"

"Mother!"

"Ichigo!"

The two ran at each other, and embraced one another. Finally, after all that time Ichigo spent blaming himself for something that was not his fault, he was able to see the one person that ever made him happy in life; his mother. As for Masaki, well, she was just so glad to see her little boy. She thought he'd turned into a handsome young man, though she didn't know why he had a constant scowl on his face. She would have to figure that one out from Isshin, and she would do that _pretty _quick. As the two continued to embrace, Ichigo spoke to his mother,

"Mom… I missed you… all those years thinking it was my fault you died… all those years I spent tortured by the idea that I was the cause of your death… it hurt me. It really did. I want to know; was it really my fault?"

"Ichigo… nothing is your fault! I was killed by an invisible beast, and that was all. There's no reason to believe it was all your fault. You were a child. You couldn't have known better. So, please understand; I forgive you if it makes you feel any better, but frankly I like this life; Now we're back together, and hopefully now we'll be able to live like we used to. As a family!"

"Right mom… you don't know how much that means to me… I love you mom… I don't ever want to be separated from you ever again."

"I agree Ichigo, I don't want to be away from you either."

Just as she finished her sentence, she began to feel something wet on her shoulder; it was Ichigo. He was crying. Crying because he'd finally been reunited with her. Shortly after his chest began to heave erratically as he continued to weep over his good fortune. His mother comforted him as she rocked him back and forth, muttering words of encouragement and comfort. Finally, when he was done, He wiped away his tears, and, after all those years of developing a scowl that would make even his worst enemies cringe, and an attitude that meant trouble, he changed. In that instant, when he was reunited with his mother, he changed. No longer was the Ichigo of yesterday present, but the Ichigo that had died over a decade ago had come back. He smiled one of the biggest smiles that any of those in the room had ever seen, and his scowl disappeared. He began to chuckle happily and for once in a very, very long time, Ichigo was truly happy.

Inuhime could sense Ichigo's reiatsu coming from the northern Rukon district; his reiatsu, while still the same, seemed to be different in a sense; it went from having a darker, more dreadful feel to that of pure joy and jubilance. Inuhime was surprised; one's reiatsu only changes when something absolutely magnificent and sometimes life changing experience occurs. That meant that something was causing Ichigo to become a more jubilant person. Of course, the only time she really paid any attention to that fool was when he would fight with some of the most powerful fighters in soul society. Like the battles with Kuchiki and Zaraki taicho, and the one with Jin Karia, the leader of the bounts. While he was indeed a good fighter, he was way out classed by many of the fighters he faced. Just because he had a giant butcher knife for a zanpakuto didn't mean he was good with a sword. Anyway, she continued to follow his trail, when she began to smell salt in the air.

The smell of salt water, and the smell of Ichigo and Rukia. There were other's scents as well, but she wasn't concerned about that. Those were just the villagers that had passed through anyways. She continued to follow the trial until it lead her to Kagome's house. That was a strange thing in and of itself. Since when did Kagome know Ichigo and Rukia? Or was there more to it than that? Inuhime slowly entered the house to find an almost devastating scene; Ichigo was bawling on an older woman's shoulder, while Rukia and another man watched them. She had come in at the right time too, because Ichigo began to dry his tears shortly after her arrival, which surprisingly no one realized she was there. When Ichigo began to chuckle, Inuhime took that as her cue to make her presence known. However before she said anything, she was stopped by the older man. After another minute or two of silence, the man grunted and got everyone's attention,

"Hey, I hate to ruin the moment, but we just happen to have a guest."

Rukia looked at Inuhime, and recognized her right away,

"Hey, you're Inuhime, right?"

"Uh—right, and you're Rukia Kuchiki, and he's Ichigo Kurosaki. As for these two, I don't know who they are. Then the other two that aren't in this room, I don't recognize them either. Mind explaining?"

"I'll do it. This is my mom, Masaki Kurosaki, and this is my dad, Isshin Kurosaki. As for the other two, they're my twin sisters Karin and Yuzu. Alright, now why have you come here?"

"I've come looking for you and Rukia. Hey Rukia, this is from Ukitake taicho. I don't know exactly what it is, but he said it was some research that he did for you."

"Oh yes, thank you!"

"You're very welcome. Now, where's Kagome?"

"Kagome? Who is that?"

"You haven't met her yet? That's strange, I mean she's the owner of the house after all. Huh, I wonder what happened to her? Would you two know?"

She pointed her question towards Isshin and Masaki. They looked at one another before Isshin spoke,

"She's training with her Zanpakuto. Why do you ask?"

"Well, she's not here, so I'm wondering what she's off doing. Shouldn't she be working right now?"

"Well, I actually went to her boss and explained to him exactly what she was doing. Since she is preparing to enter the academe, she wants to train and learn at least one technique with her Zanpakuto."

"I see—wait, she's going to join the academe?!"

"Shh! Keep your voice a little quieter, Karin and Yuzu are meditating."

"Oh, sorry… but is Kagome _really _entering the academe?"

"Yes, mostly because I urged her to enter. She's one of the most talented girls I've ever seen. She's already attained shikai!"

"Really? That's amazing! I suppose she really does have talent then. So tell me, do you know where she might have go—never mind, I know where to look. Well, I think I'll leave you all to yourselves for now."

"Oh no, please stay! We would love more company. After all, the more the merrier!"

"I'm sorry Kurosaki-san, I must go see her. I've got some… questions I wish to ask her. They're rather urgent as well, so I'm afraid I'll have to be going."

"Well if that's the case, have at least _one_ cup of tea with us before you go!"

"Well… if you insist, then I don't mind. Only one cup!"

"As you wish dear."

With that, the group of five went into the kitchen and sat at the table. While they all waited for tea, they began to chat about various things, most of which were asking about Inuhime and getting to know her. From what they learned, Inuhime was a half demon, hence why she had dog ears, fangs and claws. They also learned that she was from the Sengoku Jidai. That meant she was _pretty _old. Although she said that she'd only become a shinigami about fifty years prior. While everyone at the table struggled to understand this, she began to explain to them just what kind of circumstances she was in,

"I know it's going to sound weird… but… see, I really come from the Sengoku Jidai, there's no mistaking that. However, the girl who owns this house, Kagome, was able to travel back to that time by a dried up well. It's called the bone eater's well. One day she just happened to stumble upon it and learn of its mystical powers. At first it must have seemed whimsical to her I'm sure. Then she met my twin brother, Inuyasha. Not so whimsical anymore. Inuyasha was also able to travel through the well to Kagome's time and your guys' time. However what I'm saying is that because my brother was able to go through, so can I, and that just so happens to be what occurred. A great enemy of Inuyasha and Kagome's, Naraku, decided to get rid of me first and foremost because I was actually a threat, like my brother. This was fifty years prior to Kagome's arrival. His goal, like Inuyasha's, was to obtain the Shikon no Tama. The Shikon no Tama holds the power to grant any wish, and I mean _any _wish. Albeit some require one to pay a price. However the jewel also held the power to make demons exponentially stronger, and gave them regenerative abilities. As such, many demons sought to obtain the jewel, not only to get stronger, but to make a wish on it. Anyway, that was Naraku's goal as well as Inuyasha's. However he used a little bit of trickery to get his way. He decided he would turn my bro and Kikyo on each other, and well I hate to say it, but it worked like a charm. Kikyo pinned Inu-baka to the Goshinboku and managed to kill Kikyo in one fell swoop. He would've had his chance to get the shikon no tama too, but thank god Kikyo knew what to do with it. She burned it with her body after she died, and for fifty years my bro slept pinned against a tree by Kikyo's arrow. After those fifty years however, sweet little Kagome-chan just had to come back to the past and reveal that the kidney stone she was developing was actually the Shikon no Tama!! Talk about bad luck… then she goes and shatters the damn thing—albeit by accident—but still, and then when they finally get the thing put back together, Kagome ends up making a wish and her life is taken in exchange for my bro's. Talk about annoying… but I love her too much to hate her for it. After all, now I have a buddy from the living world!!"

Everyone stared at her in awe. They were so speechless that they didn't even realize that their tea had been served. They simply kept staring as they tried to wrap their minds around the rather fairy tale like story. Finally Isshin spoke,

"So… you're saying that you're really from the past, but you were sent to the future, I can understand that. However what I _can't _understand is why you didn't just go back through the well in the first place?"

"Well that's easy. I didn't have the shikon no tama at the time so I couldn't go back through."

"So what you're saying is that Naraku had the jewel, but instead of making himself stronger and wishing for something, he used it to get rid of you?"

"Well—not quite. See—okay, I said it wrong before. What I _should _have said was that normal humans are not allowed through the well without the shikon jewel. The reason the well is called the 'Bone eater's well' is because when the villagers would throw the dead corpses of demons into the well, they would be gone the next day. That's kinda' what happened to me. However _I _was still alive when he threw me in. I went through because of my demon blood. See, the Shikon no Tama is able to grant humans demonic powers. Hence why Kagome was able to travel through the well. Demons however already have the power to tread through the well because of their demon blood. Hence why _I _was able to pass through. Anyway, when I got to the other side, I jumped out of the well, but by the time I got outside and into some bushes on the side of the shrine grounds, I kinda' just died. I mean, Naraku had come after me already, and he'd given me a fatal wound that was _not _going to heal at all. So, I bled to death and when I woke up, I was dead with a chain of fate sticking outta' ma' chest. Not fun. Although I was given a Konso and I became a shinigami shortly after arriving. Now I'm lovin' it. However I _do _wish I hadn't died. After all, I would have _loved _to help Inu-baka and Kagome-chan with that asshole Naraku… that fucking prick!!"

"Um, not to interrupt or anything, but is being a half demon good or bad?"

"I'll tell you right now, it's the worst fate you could possibly suffer. My mother brother and I almost died because of it."

"Oh my, that doesn't sound good at all!"

"It's terrible indeed… just because Inuyasha and I had demon blood running through our veins they decided we were just like demons and that we were evil. Well, I can tell you just because of that we are _not _evil! Although I do have to stay we sure can _do _some evil things… but then again what _human _isn't capable of doing something evil, no? Anyway, so basically we were on the run for most of our lives which sucked a pair of live rocky mountain oysters…"

"What the _hell _are rocky mountain oysters?"

"Steer nuts."

"Say _wha—_oh my god! Ugh, what hell!!"

"Hey, you asked. Anyway, so yeah it was terrible. Then mom passed, and that was one of the worst days for my bro and I. After that it was like a game show called 'Darwin's Finest'. It was total hell the whole time. The only thing that I remember enjoying was being with Inuyasha. He was the only one left who understood what I was going through, and I'm sure it was the same for him. Then Kikyo came along. That threw a wrench into the entire bonding process because my Inu-baka brother fell in love with her. When he fell in love with her, he began to pay less and less attention to me. As such, I just up and left one day. That's when that wanna be demon fuck Naraku came out of nowhere and gave me the fatal wound that he sent me to the future with. Now I'm here."

"So you're saying that he killed you, then sent you to the future? Why?"

"He must not have realized this would happen. After all, there was no knowing what the well actually did with the bones of the demons, at least until Kagome came through the well. Then they knew mostly what it was for. Anyways, I'd love to stay and chat but I think I've been here quite a while. So, if you don't mind, I'm going to excuse myself and head in Kagome's direction."

"Well, you did have one cup of tea, so I suppose it is time for you to be off. Well, please come back whenever you wish. You're always welcome at the Higurashi residence!"

"Thank you very much, and I will be sure to return and visit! Bye bye!"

Everyone gave their goodbyes behind her as she disappeared around the corner.

Inuhime went in the direction of the meadow, where she knew she would find Kagome. As she went in that direction, she began to smell something; something… burning. Then she smelled something sweet. Then it went back to smelling burnt. It fluctuated like that until she came across something she was not expecting…

Hello peoples, that was another chapter of A Life After Death Situation! Well, I've been enjoying writing this among the other three that I'm trying to keep up on. Two of them kinda' died over the summer because I was busy as all hell doing other things and was afk! Seriously though, school just started like five days ago, and I've been doing homework and shit for the last couple of days. _Homework, _of all things I could be doing I was stuck doing _homework! _Talk about a bitch that never stops nagging… jk but seriously that's most of what's been keeping me. Although be looking for the next chapter coming up soon! Hopefully sooner than this one XD!! Anyways, please leave a wonderful review and have a wonderful day!

-JT Jewels


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Bleach. Lawyers can go to hell.

Hello peoples, and welcome to another exciting episode of _A Life After Death Situation! _It's been a while since I've updated, but as I said before, school combined with three or more other fics to update can be a challenge to find time for. Anyhoo, now I'm writing this thing and hopefully it will be done tonight! Well, please R&R and enjoy!

* * *

To her astonishment, Inuhime took in the scene; there Kagome was, locked in furious combat with a hollow. Not just any hollow, a menos. There were already several shinigami within combat range, but left Kagome to do the fighting. As much as it pained Inuhime to watch her new friend being slapped around by a big ass menos, she knew that someone would jump in before it was too late. However she never got to see that happen, because Kagome seemingly began to gain the upper hand. She was pushing the menos back, using a new technique. Inuhime strained her ears to hear what Kagome was saying over the sound of the menos' screeching,

"Emerarudo Hakai!!"

Suddenly, a gigantic swath of green flames erupted from the tip of Hisui En as Kagome swung it forward. The Menos had no chance to dodge, and Kagome scored a direct hit. The reiatsu blade sliced clean through the center of the Menos, cleaving it in two, along with its mask. Just as it was severing, the two sides suddenly exploded violently in a lime green fireball. The remnants fell to the ground, and slowly began to fade away into dust. However when it was gone, there was some residue; it was white, and it seemed to lightly coat the ground. They sparkled in the sunlight, and seemed to give off the smell of fresh flowers. Discarding this, Inuhime went in the direction of her friend Kagome to see if she was alright,

"Kagome! Kagome, that was fucking _amazing!! _You took that thing out all by yourself! You're going to be one hell of a shinigami."

"Wait, what?"

"You don't know what that was? That was a Menos Grande. They are a form of Gillian, or the lowest on the food chain. Menos are basically several normal hollows that have fused with one another to become what we know as a Menos. See, you'll learn about this stuff in the academe, but until then just remember this; when you attack a hollow, attack the mask. That's what will kill them. Anyway, that was fucking _amazing! _It usually takes a normal shinigami _years _to get to the point where they could kill a Menos with their own power!"

"R-really? Wow… I didn't think it was all _that _hard… Hisui En told me to just use that attack—"

"Emerarudo Hakai?"

"Yeah."

"Well, it's a badass attack. I'm sure there'll be people wondering what the hell that was right about now."

"I'm sure you're right—oh my god, I just remembered!"

"What? What's up?"

"The kids! I never said goodbye to the kids! They're probably pissed at me right now… aww man!"

"Hey now, don't worry about it too much. Listen, just go see them and make sure they understand what you're doing so they don't get worried—oof!"

She was cut off when she felt something shove her to the side, taking her down. When she looked up, she saw three boys and a little girl, who was hugging onto Kagome's legs with tears running down her face. Then she heard the little girl speak,

"Okaa-san! Okaa-san, I was so worried about you! Why did you leave?"

"Oh Vivi-chan! Shh, it's okay… don't worry, momma's right here for ya'."

The girl bawled into her shoulder, while the boys simply gave her looks of relief. Once the girl in Kagome's arms began to calm, Kagome took her by the shoulders and stared into her big green eyes before saying,

"Viveka, I want you to know, no matter where I am, I'm always in your heart. Even if I'm in a place far, far away, I'll still be in your heart. Do you understand?"

Viveka sniffled a bit before nodding positively while wiping a tear from her cheek. Kagome gave her a big smile and gave her a bear hug, to which the little girl returned with all her might. When they broke away from one another, Kagome lifted the girl onto her shoulders, making Viveka giggle and shine a bright smile to everyone. Everyone instantly brightened up when they saw the girl was happy again. Teijo, finding this to be the appropriate time to speak, began to ask Kagome a question,

"Hey nee-san, what the heck happened around here? Were you a part of this?"

"Oh—oh yeah… heh heh… I'm kinda' responsible for part of it…"

"What exactly happened to this place anyway?"

"Well, I kinda'… got in a fight with a big monster while I was training."

"You were training and you didn't even tell us, and then you ended up fighting a monster and we never saw?! You're mean!"

"Hey, I wanted to train, and you'd only end up in the way. It was a good thing anyway, because you guys would have gotten killed had you been out here watching me train."

"Hey, we would have run if it had gotten too dangerous!"

"Alright Teijo, that's enough. I'm taking you three back to Kagome's house right now, and on the way I'll explain what it was that attacked her and why she is exactly right about you guys getting killed by it."

"Hey, what gives?! Aren't you that chick we saw earlier at the house?! Oh and how the heck do ya' know my name?!"

"Well Kagome called you by name, so that was obvious, and yes I'm the chick you saw earlier. Oh, and if you know that, then you should know _my _name too."

"What was it again? Oh yeah, obaba!"

"How dare you, you rude little shit! Now common', let's get you three movin'!"

"Oh yeah? Make us!"

Inuhime simply stared at him and gave Teijo a look that made him instantly regret ever opposing her. He grabbed his brothers by the shirt and flew back towards the house in a comical fashion, tripping a few times on the way. This made all the adults and Viveka laugh. When they disappeared from sight, Inuhime turned to Kagome once more, and spoke to her,

"Hey Kagome, I want you to know, that was a class act today."

"What do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is that you've managed to impress everyone here. Not only have you been able to defeat a powerful enemy, but you've shown that you can do it with ease. You see, many shinigami have to train for _years _before they have the skill enough to defeat something so powerful. You on the other hand, seem to be a special case, not that gaining shikai wasn't already ground for calling you a special case. However, that still doesn't mean you can be a shinigami. First you'll have to prove yourself and learn the way of the shinigami in the academe. From there you'll be able to become a proper Soul Reaper. So, you ready?"

"Well yeah—but I want to train with my Hisui En first!"

"You'll have plenty of time each day after classes to train. Now, come with me, and I'll set you up with an exam today!"

"O-okay."

"Great! Now follow me!"

Kagome had no time to answer, as Inuhime picked the girl up off of Kagome's shoulders, grabbed Kagome by the wrist and dragged her along to wherever it was they were headed.

* * *

By the time they had arrived, Kagome was exhausted. They walked up to the front door of the academe, where Kagome stared in awe at the size of the front doors,

"Holy shit those doors are huge!"

"Yeah, no kiddin'. Well, let's go get you signed up for a test, shall we?"

"Uh—sure I guess."

"You don't sound so sure of yourself. Common', it's not gonna be _that _challenging!"

"Well, whatever you say then. Let's go!"

"That's the spirit, onward!"

They entered the facility, where they were met by a gigantic hall, which was full of shinigami in training, which were all wearing uniforms identical to shingami garb, the only difference being that they were white, with red markings for girls and blue for guys. As the two of them walked through, Kagome stared in awe at the luxurious hallways, wondering how something of such beauty could be a school. Finally, after walking through several corridors, they reached another large door, though it was smaller so that it could fit in the hallway. Inuhime opened the door, and held it for Kagome. Giving a quiet 'thanks', she walked in to find that the room was quiet, and somewhat… empty. She looked around, and finally she saw a man sitting at a desk. The man looked up and noticed Kagome and Inuhime,

"Come in."

The girls both walked further into the room, where Kagome was able to get a better look at the man in the chair; he had an extremely long white beard, with long, bushy eyebrows, and a bald head. He was dressed in a shinigami's kimono, covered with a captain's haori and held what looked like a staff or a walking stick. On his forehead was a large 'x' shaped scar. The girls quickly found two stools that sat in front of the desk and began to speak to the man,

"So, this is Higurashi Kagome. I am Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto taicho. I am the captain of squad one, and leader of the Gotei 13. I will be one of the proctors. I will choose three other captains to oversee you while you are tested, and as such I will grade you based on your performance, and place you at the appropriate class level for each of the four skills—zanjutsu, hakudo, hoho, and kido. Based on your experience in all areas, I will place you at the appropriate level of learning for each skill."

"Wait… how in the world did you know why I was here?

"Kagome, did I ever tell you what a hell butterfly is?"

"No but--"

"Hey dont' worry about it.... just focus on what Yamamoto Taicho has to say."

"O-okay... well, so what are those skills you were talking about, could you explain?"

"… Very well, I will elaborate: zanjutsu is swordsmanship. Hakudo is hand to hand combat. Hoho is your skill in shunpo, or flash step. Kido is the demon arts, or your shinigami powers. These four areas are what you will be graded on. Are you ready to take your exam?"

"Uh… yeah, I'm ready!"

"Good. Follow me."

The elderly man rose from his chair, and walked in the direction of the door. He held the door for the girls, to which they both thanked him before he resumed leading them. After going through more twisting and turning halls, they finally made it to a large field like area, with a set of booths along the side of the field. Kagome was astonished at the size of the field; she was sure it had to be three times as big as an American football field. When she stopped staring in awe, she heard Yamamoto speaking,

"Now, this is the facility you will be using today. Now we shall wait for the proctors."

"Um… Yamamoto-dono, can you maybe… _explain_ what shunpo or flash step or whatever it is?"

"You will be given a small explanation of each skill and basic instructions on how to use the skill should you not know how to use the skill."

"Oh okay."

With that, the three waited for the proctors.

* * *

Shunsui was headed in the direction of the shinigami academe. He had just received a message from old man Yama that he was to be one of the proctors for a new student. He heard that this new student was able to defeat a Menos Grande with little difficulty, making Kyoraku wonder if this test was really worth anything. Then again, Yamamoto was a stubborn old man who would only do things by the book. That mean that no matter what the prior experience a student has had, they will be put through the placement test same as every other student. Kyoraku had watched many pass the entrance exam—or at least the physical test. As for the written… not so many could pass that. Usually the ones who studied before coming to the academe were able to pass. As for the ones who went in without studying a single bit of material, they would surely fail. For those who failed, Shunsui felt bad. He saw many a fine shinigami in action on the battle field, but watch them fail horribly when they hit the books… it made his heart ache. However he hoped that this was one of the students whom which had studied beforehand.

When he arrived, he saw that he would be joined by his old friends Unohana Taicho and Ukitake Taicho. Since he knew he would be grading with his good friends, he went on to see who the new student was. To his surprise it was a teenage girl with long jet black hair and deep chocolate eyes. She didn't look like the type to be swinging around a zanpakuto, but then again neither did Momoko fuku-taicho. Leaving his ponderings behind, he sat down in his grading booth, ready to grade the student on her performance. Shortly after he had taken his seat, Yamamoto Taicho spoke,

"Alright, now that all the proctors have arrived, let us begin the physical placement test. The new student's name is Higurashi Kagome."

There was a short pause before he went on,

"Now, without further adieux, let us begin the first section, Zanjutsu. Higurashi, you will spar with a shinigami of equal or greater strength than yourself. Your goal is to defeat the shinigami that you spar against. However, your goal is also try to survive for fifteen minutes with the shinigami. Should you pass this test, we will move on the section two, hakudo. During this battle, you are permitted to use shunpo, however you may not use kido under any circumstances. Now, will the sparring shinigami step forward."

Just before he finished, another shinigami wearing a mask over their face appeared before Kagome and brandished their Zanpakuto,

"Now, BEGIN!"

There was no time for hesitation, as the shinigami opposite Kagome began an offensive. The shinigami swung horizontally, then vertically, then began a series of strokes making an 'X' pattern each two swings. Kagome blocked each time, thinking of a way to get around her opponent's defenses. Despite having the disadvantage at the moment, she was able to spot an opening in her opponent's attack and staged her own counter attack, missing by inches as she jabbed the blade towards her enemy's abdomen. Just as she thrust her sword forward, the other shinigami seemed to disappear. When Kagome looked around, she saw no sign of the soul reaper. Suddenly, she felt a strong burst of reiatsu from behind and she instinctually twisted around and blocked the blade, which was coming at her in a vertical attack. Holding the blade above her for a few seconds, she parried around to her opponent's back side and made an upward cut at a sharp angle, nearly cutting her opponent in half. However when she looked over to see what the damage was, the mask of the other soul reaper fell off to reveal long, silky blond hair that fell to the shinigami's rump, and the kimono seemed to fall forward onto a fairly small figure.

The shinigami, turning around, revealed to Kagome that it was a girl, with deep sapphire blue eyes. She looked as though she would cry at any moment. Feeling sorry, Kagome let her Zanpakuto fall to her side and she ran to the girl to see if she was alright. Suddenly, just before she could reach the girl, the girl's eyes slanted and she got an evil grin on her face. She brought her Zanpakuto up and made to attack Kagome once more. Kagome was surprised, but not unprepared, as she blocked the attack. While they held their swords together, the blond girl spoke to Kagome,

"Well, that was rather nice, that parry. I wasn't expecting that. However now it won't make a difference; _I'm _going to win!"

Kagome ignored the girl's words and made to parry once more, however she was blocked with ease, and she went for another horizontal slice from the left, but she was blocked yet again. She tried numerous times to land a hit, but each time she was either blocked or the girl dodged the attack. Becoming frustrated at her situation, she decided she would go on the defensive, leaving herself open to attack. Gladly taking the chance to end the battle, the blond attacked Kagome viciously. Kagome had a difficult time guarding against her enemy's attacks, and some she was even hit by. One that really woke her up though was the attack that cut all the way up her cheek. The girl stopped to look at Kagome and began to chuckle a little at the damage she had inflicted,

"So, I see I was only able to cut your cheek. Had that attack gone through properly, you would be in two pieces on the ground. Be happy you're still standing!"

The girl instantly began her attack once more, and continued to land a blow every few strokes. Ten minutes later, Kagome was nicked up terribly and she was beginning to wear out. Just before the blond could begin attacking once more, she was stopped by the sound of Yamamoto's voice,

"That is enough. You have survived for fifteen minutes in battle with a shinigami of much higher skill than yourself. This means you are able to move on to the next section, hakudo."

Kagome gave a sigh of relief as she could finally say goodbye to this psycho. However just before she could settle down completely, the blonde shinigami came up to her and held out her hand. Kagome looked at the girl's face to find that it had softened and become somewhat bubbly,

"Good job today. I just want you to know, that was all an act before. See, that's why I was chosen for this job. I'm supposed to put on an act that intimidates newcomers. You're really good though. My name is Miyuki. Alright, good luck on the rest of the test!"

"Oh—uh, thanks."

When they were done with their formalities, Miyuki disappeared with shunpo, leaving only Kagome in the field. When Kagome looked over in the direction of Yamamoto Taicho, she saw that the woman proctor had come out onto the field. She approached Kagome, holding out her hands,

"Hello, my name is Retsu Unohana. I'm the fourth division captain. As you may know, the fourth division specializes in medics. The reason I've come out here is so that I may heal your wounds. Now, close your eyes and I'll heal you."

Kagome closed her eyes and suddenly she felt a warm feeling flow through her body from her head down to her toes. When she opened her eyes once more, she noticed she felt wonderful, and the stinging and aching of her cuts and bruises were gone. She thanked Unohana profusely, to which Unohana told her it was nothing and that she was glad to be of service. She then returned to her grading booth, and waited for the next section to begin.

* * *

Hello peoples, how was this chapter? Sorry I haven't updated in like a really long time, but hey like I keep saying, homework is the bitch that never quits. So, with that said, please leave a kind review and have a wonderful day.

-JT Jewels


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha nor Bleach, so lawyers can go screw the pooch, literally.

Hello peoples, and welcome to another chapter of _A Life After Death Situation! _I know it's been a while since I've updated, but then again I've been doing so many other things—hanging with my girlfriend, trying to complete classes to get my diploma, etc…. but anyway, sorry it took so long to update! Now that I'm out of school though and my girlfriend is _going _to school, I'll be able to update more frequently, so that means more from me on a regular basis! W00T! Lol anyway, please enjoy this chapter and please R&R!

* * *

There was a moment of silence before Yamamoto spoke,

"Now Miss Higurashi we will begin the second portion of the exam, hakudo. This will be a show of hand to hand combat. You will spar with another shinigami, just as you did the last task. The goal also remains the same; you must either defeat the shinigami you are matched against or last fifteen minutes against them. Should you fail to do either, we will move on to the next portion of the exam immediately. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Very well. Now, would the opponent shinigami please enter the field."

As his command was given, the same girl as before, Miyuki, appeared,

"Miyuki, what is the meaning of this? You have already sparred once with Higurashi, therefore you are not to spar with her again for the duration of the testing."

"W-well, Yamamoto taicho, there's actually been some… complications of sorts…"

"Complications? Explain."

"W-well… unfortunately, most of the other Shinigami have been gravely injured or killed, and all the able bodied shinigami have been subdued. The only ones left were myself, "

"Why have I not been notified?"

"Sir, the reason we could not get in touch with you is because the barracks was surrounded with a barrier that killed any hell butterflies we sent out. It didn't affect us shinigami however. Although for some reason, any witnesses outside of the barrier either don't recall seeing anything wrong or say they didn't see anything, including a couple of captains. I was simply told to come back and complete the testing in the place of the other shinigami by Soifon Taicho."

"This is absurd! You are not allowed to battle the student a second time. Do you not understand that?"

"I understand perfectly Yamamoto taicho, but you have to understand that it was my captain that told me to come here!"

"I demand to know what Soifon Taicho's reasoning is for this nonsense!"

"Sir, all of the other valid opponents for the exam have been injured or wounded!"

"I don't believe that—wait, what is this?"

The elderly man looked over to see a hell butterfly coming in his direction,

"Hold on one moment."

The man listened intently to the message, his expression getting more and more anxious with each passing moment. When the hell butterfly flew away, Yamamoto looked slightly peeved,

"Please forgive me Higurashi, but there is an important matter that I must tend to. I also apologize to you Ito-san; it was improper of me to assume things I knew not of. I digress however. Listen closely then! I will appoint a Shinigami captain to proctor in place of myself. It will take but a moment."

Using the same hell butterfly, he passed on the news to one of the Gotei 13 captains. Not long after the hell butterfly disappeared, a captain appeared. He was short, and looked relatively young. He had snow white hair, and icy blue eyes. Despite how young he looked, he looked very mature for his age. He slowly walked over to the commander of the Gotei 13, and began a short conversation. Not long after their short talk, Yamamoto taicho disappeared. Standing in his place, the new proctor looked in Kagome's direction, and began looking directly at her. After a few moments of silence, he spoke,

"So, you're Higurashi?"

"Yes, I'm Kagome Higurashi."

"Well in that case, let me introduce myself. I am the captain of squad 10 in the Gotei 13, Hitsugaiya Toshiro. You will refer to me as Hitsugaiya taicho from this point on. Now let us proceed with your exam! Now I have been informed that you are on part two of your exam, Hakudo. Is this correct?"

"Uh—yes, that's right."

"Good. Have you ever fought hand to hand before?"

"I guess… I'm not the best at it though…"

"You'll be fine. The rules are that—"

"I know the rules! I have to either defeat the shinigami I'm faced against or last fifteen minutes with them. If I can't do either, I'm going to move on to the next part of the test."

"Okay, now that you've stated the rules, you will now begin this portion of the exam. This shinigami will be your opponent. On my mark, you will begin the test, alright?"

"Yes sir."

There was tension in the air; the slightest breeze sounded like a windstorm, breaking the silence. The leaves of the trees fell in the breeze, and landed upon the ground between the two combatants. They looked at each other unwavering, the leaves being no distraction. The smell of fresh air and tea seemed to waft through the air, tickling the noses of the fighters. Neither paid the slightest attention to it. The tenseness they felt was thick and heavy, and could only be cured by making a move. Kagome continued to stare deep into Miyuki's eyes, seeing what soul she had before fade from them only to be replaced with the soulless, dark pits of a trained killer. Just looking into her opponent's eyes gave Kagome the chills. Trying to focus on the glint in Miyuki's eyes, she found none; the evil eyes she had stared into for what seemed eternity had also lost their glittering highlights. Even so, as scared as Kagome was, she needed to fight her opponent or else she would be done for.

A minute passed; there was still no movement, not even the twitch of a finger. Each test proctor watched with bated breath as the two students continued their extended stare down, their breath releasing once the first attack was initiated. Hitsugaiya waited anxiously as well, observing them carefully for anything suspicious or out of place. Throughout the next minute, there remained silence and thick tension, until finally one of the shinigami made a move; it was Kagome, who leaped forward to attack Miyuki with a jab to the stomach. Her strike was blocked and she was thrown to the ground, where she skidded across the ground like a skipping stone on calm water.

Getting up from her prone position on the ground, she had hardly any time to brush her kimono off before an onslaught from Miyuki came. Each combo, every punch and kick, and every other movement that flew at Kagome was either blocked or dodged, although she was only narrowly able to defend herself. While defending, Kagome searched for any opening she could find, even just a small one where she could get a little jab in. However she found no openings, not a single one. Miyuki's offensive was very strong, and all possible openings were either covered up or they were corrected with certain movements by Miyuki. Kagome was slightly jealous; after all, if she knew how to fight like that before, there would be no reason for her to have to struggle with the demons she met in the feudal era. Despite her jealousy, she focused on her dual with her entire mind, body and spirit.

Miyuki's onslaught ended after about a minute, to which Kagome decided to go into an instant offensive. Throwing wild punches and kicks, she thought she had a good fighting strategy. Her ideas were shattered however when a punch to the solar plexus floored her. Kagome clutched her stomach, and curled up into a ball. Not long after her injury, she proceeded to vomit her breakfast on the ground next to her. She continued to hold her stomach in pain. In her mind, she was wondering how the hell Miyuki was able to throw a punch that hard. She also wondered how Miyuki was able to break her little offensive so easily. Then Kagome realized that she was new to this whereas Miyuki was a veteran. Realizing this, she slowly stood up, her knees quivering and her stomach aching. She vomited once more before she took her hands away from her stomach and got into a defensive position.

However just as she got into position, she was surprised to find Miyuki back off and stand straight up. The glint in her eyes that had faded had returned, and the deep darkness in her pupils turned into deep wells of love and kindness, her soul returning to them. While it caught Kagome off guard, she stood up straight as well, and began walking in Miyuki's direction. All of the proctors, including Hitsugaiya, assumed the position for face faulting, as they knew what would happen next. Kagome continued to get closer and closer to her 'opponent', not noticing any animosity emanating from her. Just before they came face to face, Miyuki's character instantly changed and she brutally attacked Kagome. Kagome, being caught off guard yet again, was not prepared for Miyuki's next siege, and she was instantly floored. She lay upon the ground in pain, her body riddled with bruises and scratches, all of which hurt to the touch. Kagome tried once more to stand, but she was in no condition to stand.

Kagome waved her hand in the air, signaling her defeat. Now thoroughly in pain, she laid there waiting for someone to help her. Her prayers were answered when Unohana taicho appeared and began giving her basic treatment,

"It's alright dear, we'll have you fixed up in no time!"

"T-thank… you…" squeaked Kagome. As she was being healed, Kagome could feel her wounds repairing themselves. The pain seemed to wash away as if someone poured holy water on her skin and the cuts, nicks and gashes seemed to wash down her skin and into the ground below. She felt her muscles, once tense with the spirit of combat, relax and let in a sense of peace. Her headache also washed away with the healing sensation. In fact, some of her earlier anxieties seemed to detach themselves from her soul. As the healing sensation began to ease, Kagome felt the weight of her earlier pain suddenly lift, and an inner peace ensued. Finally it was done. What only took about two minutes seemed to last an eternity to Kagome. Kagome lay there for a moment in pure bliss; her intense pain and suffering was gone, and now she was completely healthy again. She slowly sat up, reveling in the healthfulness that she now had. Looking around, she found that Miyuki was looking at her intently and Hitsugaiya was staring at her intensely. When her attention shifted to him, he spoke,

"Well, if you're feeling good enough to move on, then we will do so. Are you prepared?"

Kagome thought for a moment before replying,

"Yes, I'm ready for the next test!"

"Good. We shall move on to part three of the exam! The third part of the exam is a test of your hoho, or your skill in shunpo or also called flash step. In order to take this portion of the test, you must know the technique behind shunpo. Do you know the technique?"

Kagome stayed silent, hesitant about answering the question. Before she could get the courage to answer, she was prodded for an answer by Hitsugaiya,

"Well Higurashi?"

"N-no…" she replied timidly,

"Okay, in that case we will simply put you in a beginning class for shunpo skills."

"O-okay…"

"With that determined, let us move on to the final portion of the quiz, kido, or demon arts. As you know, kido is magic that shinigami use as a weapon to bind and damage enemies, and heal fellow shinigami. The three types are bakudo, or binding spells, hado, or damage spells, and healing spells. Bakudo and hado must be performed with an incantation, whereas healing arts are used at will. This test will determine your skill with each form of kido. Are you ready?"

Kagome was slightly confused, but understood well enough to continue,

"Yes, I'm ready!"

"Alright then; in that case, we will start with hado. I would like you to hit this target using hado 31, Shakkaho. Are you right or left handed?"

"Uh… right handed."

"Okay then, raise your right hand and repeat after me."

Hitsugaiya motioned for Kagome to hold her hand up, to which she held it up hesitantly. She was a little bit nervous, because she didn't know what was going to happen next. Even so, she needed to keep going. She replied with a simple 'okay', to which Hitsugaiya nodded his head affirmatively and began the incantation,

"_Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!_ Hado 31, Shakkaho!"

Suddenly a flaming ball of inferno shot out of the captain's hand and straight at the target, hitting it dead center. Kagome was mystified, and didn't really know what to think. However she quickly remembered that she needed to do this as well. She was good at memorization, so she didn't think she would have any trouble with this. Looking straight at the target, she began to chant the incantation,

"_Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! _Hado 31, Shakkaho!"

Suddenly an even bigger ball of flames shot out of Kagome's hand, only it didn't fly straight at all; it spiraled out of control, hitting a nearby wall and completely blowing a hole through it. Kagome's cheeks became hot pink, and the embarrassment was evident on her face. Giving her a sympathetic look, Hitsugaiya patted her on the shoulder and said,

"That's alright, it happens all the time with beginning class kido users. Now, you are allowed two more tries. If you can hit the target both times, then we will put you into an advanced beginner's class. If you hit it once, we'll put you into an intermediate beginner's class, and not hitting it we will put you in the beginning class. Alright, begin!"

At Hitsugaiya's demand, Kagome began to chant the spell once more, while trying to aim at the target. She shot the fireball a little straighter than she had before, but it was still very far from where it was intended to land. It ended up destroying the back wall behind the target. Now Kagome was getting a little peeved; this should have been a lot easier than it was! Kagome looked at the target once more, and raised her hand and aimed it directly at the center of the target. Closing her eyes, she slowly began to say the incantation, and in her mind she pictured herself hitting the center of the target. As she finished the incantation, and yelled 'Hado 31, Shakkaho!', a fireball bigger than it had ever been erupted from her hand and flew forward. Kagome peeked with one eye at the projectile, and found that it was flying much straighter than the other shots she had fired earlier. It wasn't straight enough however, as it simply nicked the top left corner of the target square, and ended up spinning out of control and blowing a gigantic crater in the ground next to the target stand. Kagome looked dumbfounded for a moment, then her face fell and she bowed her head to look at the ground.

Hitsugaiya walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, and spoke some words of encouragement,

"It's alright Higurashi, as I said before this is normal for someone who is just beginning to use Kido. It's hard to learn. You'll get the hang of it in no time though. With the progress you made here, I can tell you have some great potential. None the less, potential can't be unlocked without a little bit of coaching and some guidance. –Ahem—Now then, I will review your exam scores with the judges. When I have your scores in order, I will present them to you and conclude your exam. From there, I will give your scores to Yamamoto Taicho, who will ultimately select your classes for you. With this schooling, you will become a fine Shinigami. Now wait here and read this pamphlet; it will tell you more about the schooling here at the academe, what teachers teach what classes, etc. It also lists the hours of each class, and it will provide lesson plans for some classes. If the classes don't have a lesson plan or do not have very much information on them, it is because it's a newer class, and in some cases, it may be an experimental new class. Now then, I will go review your scores. I'll return shortly."

Using shunpo, Hitsugaiya went to the judges, and began to converse with them while collecting the scores. Now that Kagome was alone, she could reflect on this whole experience. The first thing she thought of was the Kido testing. She didn't understand how something so simple looking could be so hard. All she had to do was hit the target dead center with a projectile, yet every time she shot a fireball, it would spiral out of control. It just didn't make sense how she could shoot something straight and have it turn into an out of control projectile that flew every which way. She decided she would drop the issue and worry about it when she got into her next class.

Now she began thinking about classes. She looked down at the pamphlet that Hitsugaiya gave her, and opened it up to reveal A short introduction. Reading the introduction, she came to like how the academe was run; the teachers were available after class every day for after class assistance, and the classes were only about ten to fifteen people in size, making it easier for the teachers to teach each student individually as well as in a group. Kagome had a feeling that she would be relying a lot on her teacher's help, since that was basically all she was able to do back in the… living days… 'Wow' thought Kagome, 'I can't believe that I would be saying something like that! I mean, it's only been a couple of weeks since I've been here, and yet I'm _still _not able to get used to be dead…'

Just remembering the time she was 'alive' was hard enough for Kagome, let alone coping with death. She barely scratched the surface in the way of coming to terms with her death. She was so attached to the living world that she didn't realize how negatively death would affect her in the afterlife. She didn't really have a particular image of heaven, and that was mostly attributed to the fact that she was mostly agnostic. While she practiced Shinto customs and culture, she was not particularly fond of it. She simply did it for her mother and grandfather. She didn't want to disappoint them. That being the case, she took every opportunity to practice Shintoism in front of them. She researched some of the other religions she had heard about, and found that the ones she had the most interest in were Judaism and Christianity. While she never truly agreed with everything either religion stated, she particularly sided with the Christian Religion simply because there was so much freedom with it. Doing more homework, she figured that Protestant Christians had much more freedom than Roman Catholics, so she sided with the Protestants. Since she believed the most in Christianity, her image of heaven was somewhat like this: A place high above in the heavens where you felt no pain, and experienced no sickness, and the streets were paved with gold, while she simply enjoyed the luxuries of heaven with dead relatives and such. After her death however, that view changed.

No longer did she believe in the Christian's form of the afterlife; she didn't believe any of the others anymore either. Simply stated, she was dumbfounded and perplexed at how every person on Earth had some wrong idea of what heaven was like, or if there was a heaven and such. There was a hell alright, but not so much of a heaven as just simply another dimension upon which Kagome's existence traveled onto. When she thought of it as being a matter of dimensional transportation, she had an easier time understanding why she was in the Soul Society. What bugged her the most was that she didn't know how in the world the people of this dimension managed to control this ability to move between the dimensions; if these people, who were of equal or lesser technological advancement as her world, were able to take hold of this ability and use it to do what they needed, or possibly wanted to do, then why in the name of Christ was Kagome's world so lacking? Why were they so… behind? Kagome couldn't figure it out on her own, so she began moving to another topic in her mind.

Just before she could move on however, she was startled by Hitsugaiya suddenly flash stepping right in front of her. In her excitement, she dropped the pamphlet and fell straight back on her butt,

"Sssss…. Ouch…. Owwwwie…."

"Forgive me Higurashi-san, but I've reviewed your scores with the three other judges, and I found that you qualified for these classes: Advanced beginner's Zanjutsu, Also Zanjutsu 103, intermediate beginner's Hakudo, also Hakudo 102, beginning Hoho, also Hoho 101, and beginning Kido, or Kido 101. Congratulations on making it into these three classes. One more thing Higurashi; Congratulations on making it period. It's a truly hard task to get in on your first try in the physical portion. Before you ask, there is no written test for class qualifications. However in order to further analyze your knowledge of the subject, you will be required to take a test covering the four subjects we covered today. What will also be covered in the written is the history of Soul Society. In order to serve as a Shinigami in the Soul Society, one must know the history of its beginnings and why it is here now. Now then, if you will follow me I will sign you up with a time in which you can take the written portion of the test."

Nodding affirmatively with a quiet 'yes sir,' she followed slowly behind him as he walked her through the Seireitei into the squad 1 barracks, where they returned to the office of Yamamoto Taicho. While there, Hitsugaiya spoke to the squad 1 captain and Gotei 13 General to find a time for Kagome to take a written test. Kagome was nervous for her next challenge, but for now at least she had gotten over her first trial in the long set of trials that would make her into a true Shinigami.

* * *

Hello peoples! Long time no post! For those of you who read, thank you for your patience, as it's been a long time since I've had the time to truly write something… as of the last month or so, I've vowed to continue all of my fics whether or not I have time or not, because now I have a lot more extra time! So, for those of you who don't like to do any waiting, I will have good things in store for you, and in a shorter time period! Anyway, thank all of you who read this, please leave a kind review, and have a wonderful day!

-JT Jewels


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